SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Ash effects”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2026

Scalable Fabrication of a Fibrous Amine-functionalized Matrix (FAM) Sorbent for Critical Mineral Recovery

We report a novel flat sheet Fibrous Amine-functionalized Matrix (FAM) sorbent platform designed for efficient and selective capture of CM from dilute solutions. The FAM sorbent features crosslinked amine microfilms coated onto/within a glass fiber matrix, providing fast mass transfer and excellent mechanical stability. Systematic batch and flow-through tests with FAM revealed rapid metal uptake kinetics and high capacity for representative species, achieving ~90 mg/g of Gallium, ~100 mg/g of Cobalt, and ~90 mg/g for Neodymium. Moreover, multiple eluents, including mineral acids and complexing agents, enabled highly effective desorption of adsorbed metals, demonstrating the feasibility of regenerating FAM sorbents. Importantly, tests with authentic coal ash leachate demonstrated strong selectivity toward U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-listed CM and rare earth elements over abundant base cations, confirming the robustness of FAM in realistic complex solutions. The flat sheet geometry was amenable to scaling into durable spiral wound modules, highlighting the potential for future regeneration and reuse. This work establishes FAM sorbents as a promising platform for the recovery of CM from wastewaters, advancing both resource sustainability and environmental stewardship.

critical mineral recovery↗

DOE OSTI2020

Studies on the Encapsulation of Brine Generated from a Process Using Selective Electrodialysis Reversal

This topical report summarizes the laboratory testing, geochemical modeling, and mineralogical testing conducted to examine the efficacy of wastewater encapsulation for the brine generated from the Saltworks Flex electrodialysis reversal technology. Within the laboratory testing, the short- and long-term physical properties of seven separate mix designs were examined along with the leaching of each mix design. Additionally, geochemical thermodynamic modeling was used along with mineralogical analyses to help gain a fundamental understanding of the chemistry involved in the encapsulation process. Encapsulation is a process that results in the immobilization of constituents of interest by creating an engineered material that contains the waste within its matrix, both physically and chemically, in such a manner that the receiving environment is protected from adverse effects. Within the context of this study, encapsulation mix designs involved mixing the Saltworks brine with fly ash and various additives, principally lime (calcium oxide) and cement, to form a paste that eventually sets and hardens into a monolith upon placement in a landfill. Moisture conditioning fly ash with wastewater sources for on-site landfill disposal is a process that is in use at some sites and has been presented as a viable option to dispose of liquid wastes. However, because chemical reactions that can lead to sequestration of constituents of interest are not optimized, leaching can occur. Therefore, in this study, mixes were created to mimic moisture conditioning, as well as engineered pastes of varying mix designs. The study found that engineered encapsulation mixes provide significant resistance to leaching compared to moisture conditioning alone. The best performing encapsulation mix used lime as the additive, which proved superior to the use of cement. After 90 days of curing, this encapsulated mix was 5.5 times stronger than the moisture conditioned mix. Additionally, this mix exhibited an approximate 2.5 order of magnitude drop in hydraulic conductivity compared to the moisture conditioned mix. When comparing leaching, nearly all the chloride was found to evolve from the moisture conditioned mix, whereas only 6.7% of the chlorine contained in the best performing encapsulated mix leached out. Mineralogical analysis via X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed a significant concentration of the chloride sequestering mineral, Friedel’s salt, in the best performing encapsulation mix, whereas none was observed in the moisture conditioned mix, pointing to it being the primary chemical mechanism for chloride retention, along with the physical impermeability of the material. With respect to the modeling study, the model was successful in predicting the presence of most mineral phases observed in the XRD analysis.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2023

Proxy quality control of biomass particles using thermogravimetric analysis and Gaussian process regression models

Abstract The temperature experienced by reactants during preparation in a reactor is a key component in determining the yield and homogeneity of usable chemical products such as biomass particles. Thermocouples with sensors can be used to monitor spatial temperature gradients within reactors but these sensors are often too expensive and/or invasive. The present work proposes a strategy to identify optimal machine learning models to infer the maximum effective temperature experienced by particles during oxidative biomass torrefaction using key thermochemical combustion parameters. The maximum rate of weight loss, the corresponding temperature, and fixed carbon content on a dry‐ash‐free basis are used as literature‐based predictor variables obtained from thermogravimetric analysis. The evaluation of 24 machine‐learning models using the standard tenfold cross‐validation method suggests that the exponential Gaussian process regression (GPR) model is the most effective, followed by other GPR models. These high‐performing GPR models were also utilized to predict the effective preparation temperature distribution of reactor‐produced biomass particles under eight conditions of varying residence time and air‐to‐biomass ratio. The effective preparation temperature and residence time of individual biomass particles were then encoded into the torrefaction severity factor and used to estimate the energy yield of the reactor output as a novel quality control method. © 2023 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Coupled Hydrothermal Extraction and Ligand-Associated Swellable Glass Media Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Fly Ash (Final Report)

Wayne State University (WSU) researchers, in collaboration with the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), have successfully developed a new sorbent media used in a process that concentrated the rare earth content in a coal fly ash sample from southeast MI by >350×, resulting in >13 wt% REO powder. The project developed a new DTPA-associated media that was used to concentrate total REEs. This project demonstrated a coupled hydrothermal extraction and solid-liquid recovery process that produced REO powder from raw fly ash while nearly eliminating the use of organic solvents. The project successfully: 1) identified a commercially viable ash supply with >$2.5 M in REO value being deposited monthly, 2) hydrothermally extracted >77% of REEs in coal fly ash (20% more than acid alone), 3) developed a new sorbent media that was used to concentrate REEs, 4) and engineered a process that resulted in a >13 wt% REO powder. The media also demonstrates a selectivity for mid and heavy REEs over Ce and La and the potential for use in separating individual rare earth elements. An invention disclosure for the sorbent media has been filed with WSU and a patent application will be submitted in the near future. The project examined the potential to couple hydrothermal leaching of coal fly ash with the engineering of a custom ligand-associated media to provide an organic solvent-free method of extracting and recovering REEs. Fly ash feedstock was collected from Detroit area coal-fired power plants, characterized for REE content, and subjected to a bench-top batch hydrothermal leaching/dissolution process inside custom-build pressure reactors at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This process applied a dissolution technique previously developed to process spent nuclear fuel and other nuclear materials. The modified ash was acidified and the resulting leachate was enriched with REEs along with Ca, Al, and Si. Ligands known to be effective in lanthanide/actinide separation were evaluated based on a series of criteria such as selectivity and association to organosilica through hydrophobicity. Batch experiments were conducted to establish the best conditions (e.g., pH, eluent, etc.) and best ligand systems for the effective extraction of REEs from the alkaline feed solution obtained from the hydrothermal leaching process. Once the organosilica-ligand extraction media was developed for REE concentration, an acidic solution was used to back extract and concentrate the REEs into a heavily REE-laden strip solution. The REEs in the strip solution were precipitated with oxalate to produce rare earth oxides.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2024

Performance Testing of Moving Bed Gasifier Using Biomass and Waste Fuels to Generate Low-Cost Clean Hydrogen

Our need for hydrogen is growing as the world transitions toward a low-carbon future. Hydrogen provides long-term energy storage for grid stability in a solar- and wind-dominated power market and can be used to decarbonize other sectors. One promising process for generating low-cost hydrogen that produces net-negative carbon is to gasify biomass with a mixture of legacy coal wastes, waste plastics, and other wastes with carbon capture. Use of waste fuels lowers costs and diverts waste from landfills. EPRI is leading a project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, to conduct performance testing of modular, moving-bed gasification for the generation of low-cost, clean hydrogen from biomass mixed with legacy coal waste, waste plastic, and/or refuse derived fuels. The work scope includes preparation of multiple pellet feedstocks using biomass (both woody biomass and corn stover) with a mixture of legacy coal waste, plastic waste (wire insulation), and refuse-derived fuel (RDF). These pelletized feedstocks are being qualified based on performance testing of selected fuel blend compositions in updraft moving-bed gasifier located in Sardinia, Italy. Testing is being conducted to obtain relevant data to advance the modular design of the moving-bed gasification process, and successfully use these feedstocks to produce a high hydrogen content raw syngas that can be shifted to produce clean hydrogen. Testing results will be used to determine the effects of the various fuels on feedstock development, the resulting products (i.e., syngas compositions, organic condensate production, and ash characteristics), and impacts on gasifier operations.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2022

Occurrences of REE and CM in volcanic ash beds associated with coals in SW Wyoming & NW Colorado

Rare earth elements (REEs) and critical minerals (CMs) are vital components in the nation’s economy, national security, and the further strengthening of our renewable energy capabilities and infrastructure. Recent work has revealed more insight into previously unknown modes of occurrence for REEs, particularly in coal seams and adjacent noncoal sediments, but many data gaps persist. Temporal relationships between coal beds and adjacent tonstiens, ash beds, or other partings are widely recognized but not fully understood. Variations in REE concentration and their direct or indirect association with coal beds are not predictable. This study presents findings from examining lateral and potentially stratigraphic variation of REE and CM occurrences in coals of late Cretaceous and Paleocene age. In this study we collected and examined samples of differing ages both core and coal mine exposures for qualitative x-ray fluorescence (XRF), and multi-element geochemistry. Preliminary XRF data indicates variable levels of light REEs in a core from the Yampa coalfield of Moffat County in northwest Colorado. An absence of similar enrichments in slightly older coals in the Adaville Formation of the Fold and Thrust belt in southwest Wyoming is described from XRF and ICP-MS evaluation. Previous work has shown an association with the Yampa Bed and REE enrichment in coals of the Upper Cretaceous Williams Fork Formation. While not common and widespread, this association suggests that leaching or reworking of the ash bed could lead to elevated REEs in the adjacent coal. We investigate differences between the two data occurringas geologic compositions and post-depositional histories. In-depth petrography and precise geochemistry should reveal data that at the very least will help improve some aspects of the geologic models of coal basins and the effect of an influx of non-coal sediments.

REE, CM, ash, volcanic ash, coal↗

DOE OSTI2024

Advanced Characterization to Inform Sustainable Recovery of Critical Minerals from Fossil Energy Waste Feedstocks

Rare earth elements (REE) and other critical minerals (CM, e.g., Co, Li) have important uses in green energy and modern technologies, yet are vulnerable to potential supply chain disruptions. One potential domestic source of CM is fossil energy wastes, such as acid mine drainage (AMD) and treatment solids (AMD solids), coal combustion ash, and Oil and Gas (O&G) drilling wastes (drill cuttings and produced waters). CM recovery from these waste feedstocks is promising due to their abundances and fast availability as waste products. On the other hand, the CM occurrence in these wastes is in small quantities compared to traditional ore bodies. Thus, novel and strategic separation and extraction processes are under exploration. Researchers at DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) are collecting and analyzing CM data for aforementioned fossil energy wastes, and utilizing advanced geochemical characterization (e.g., synchrotron microprobe and sequential extraction) to understand the CM speciation and binding environments in these materials to better inform sustainable and effective recovery. Successful examples discussed in this talk include: (1) the discovery of easily mobile REE phases in Ca-rich coal combustion ash and developing a patented REE recovery process from Ca-rich Powder River Basin coal ash; (2) the successful identification of REE/Co/Ni/Zn hosting phases in acid mine drainage treatment solids (AMD solids) with diverse chemical composition (Al, Mn, or Fe-rich) informing the sequential recovery of different REE/CMs from AMD solids; (3) the recovery potential of Li and other CMs in O&G produced waters and drill cuttings. The innovations driven by characterization have the potential to offset the cost of waste management and wastewater treatments while reducing the cost and environmental footprint of CM extraction.

characterization and extraction↗

DOE OSTI2021

Alpha particle channeling in ITER

Alpha particle channeling, the attempt to extract energy from high-energy fusion alpha particles using a combination of high- and low-frequency waves introduced in the plasma with antennae, is studied using a guiding center code. We examine the effect of the combination of cooling caused by a cyclotron mode, particle diffusion due to Alfvén modes introduced for ash removal, the inclusion of microturbulent diffusion, and the slowing down of the alpha particles on electrons. Induced cooling is achieved with a cyclotron resonance, producing additional losses of particles above 3.5 MeV in an amount about equal to the prompt loss. The removal of the low-energy cooled particles by additional modes or by microturbulent diffusion is the hardest challenge for alpha channeling. The cooled alpha particles remain deep in the plasma center, so for this removal, the method used must be capable of providing transport from the plasma center to the edge without also causing losses of high-energy particles.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

ASSESSMENT OF HIGH-VOLUME HARVESTED FLY ASH BLENDS FOR USE IN PRECAST CONSTRUCTION

Declining supplies of fresh fly ashes in some regions have further driven the importance of using harvested fly ash as a supplementary cementitious material and thus replacement for more energy-intensive ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Higher replacement rates of OPC with fly ash in general has traditionally been limited in precast operations due to stringent early-age strength requirements necessitated by initial prestress and lifting/handling of hardened components – often well within 24 hours after fresh concrete placement. Therefore, a series of mix designs were developed, as part of a larger framework for reassessing high-volume fly ash (HVFA) use in the context of precast construction, to demonstrate the feasibility of using larger fractions of harvested fly ash in concrete formulations suitable for precast fabrication demands. More specifically, a target minimum 24-hour compressive strength of 24.1 MPa (3500 psi) was set, in accordance with conventional precast structural design checks, while increasing the fly ash content to 40% replacement of OPC – at least a 15% increase above the traditional limit of 25%. The effect of using more sustainable Type IL cement in contrast to conventional Type III Portland cement (the traditional standard for precast use) – both in conjunction with HVFA use – was also examined. Early-age mechanical properties including compressive strength, modulus of rupture, and modulus of elasticity were evaluated within the aforementioned early-age window. Lastly, corresponding design equations were then reassessed for their applicability with respect to the high-early strength HVFA mixes examined herein.

Gombeda, Matthew J.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Numerical analysis of particle dispersion and deposition in coal combustion using large-eddy simulation

High-fidelity modeling provides a useful approach to investigate the particle dispersion and deposition mechanism in pulverized coal combustion. To be able to analyze these detailed mechanisms, this work couples detailed multiphysics models for poly-dispersed turbulent, particle-laden flow, particle and gas phase reaction chemistry, convective, conductive and radiative heat transfer, ash formation and deposition with a Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) approach to numerically simulate coal combustion in a downfired self-sustained oxy-fuel combustor (OFC). It is necessary to explicitly capture all but the highest frequency dynamics of the turbulence and its coupling with each of the other physical phenomena using LES. Effects of subgrid-scale unresolved turbulence on the particle motions are also analyzed by a novel Stokes number analysis. Due to the inherent relation ship between coal combustion and ash deposition, this study integrates the improved ash deposition model into the numerical simulation. Overall simulation results are compared with experimentally measured data from the OFC. The simulation and measured data for the averaged gas temperature and deposition rates agree with 5% and 28%. This study shows that high-fidelity LES coupled with other detailed multiphysics models running on a exascale computing facility can provide a good representation of complex coal combustion and deposition in a laboratory-scale furnace.

multiphysics model↗

DOE OSTI2023

Harvest and nitrogen effects on bioenergy feedstock quality of grass-legume mixtures on Conservation Reserve Program grasslands

Perennial grass mixtures established on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands can be an important source of feedstock for bioenergy production. This study aimed to evaluate management practices for optimizing the quality of bioenergy feedstock and stand persistence of grass-legume mixtures under diverse environments. A 5-year field study (2008–2012) was conducted to assess the effects of two harvest timings (at anthesis vs after complete senescence) and three nitrogen (N) rates (0, 56, 112 kg N ha -1 ) on biomass chemical compositions (i.e., cell wall components, ash, volatiles, total carbon, and N contents) and the feedstock energy potential, examined by the theoretical ethanol yield (TEY) and the total TEY (i.e., the product of biomass yield and TEY, L ha -1 ), of cool-season mixtures in Georgia and Missouri and a warm-season mixture in Kansas. The canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was used to investigate the effect of vegetative species transitions on feedstock quality. Although environmental variations (mainly precipitation) greatly influenced the management effect on chemical compositions, the delayed harvest after senescence generally improved feedstock quality. In particular, the overall cell wall concentrations and TEY of the warm-season mixtures increased by approximately 7%. Additional N supplies improved the total TEY of both mixtures by ~1.6–4.2 L ha -1 per 1.0 kg N ha -1 input but likely lowered the feedstock quality, particularly for the cool-season mixture. The cell wall concentrations of cool-season mixture reduced by approximately 3%–6%. The CCA results indicated that the increased legume compositions (under low N input) likely enhanced lignin but reduced ash concentrations. This field research demonstrated that with proper management, grass-legume mixtures on CRP lands can provide high-quality feedstock for bioenergy productions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2020

GaAs growth rates of 528 μm/h using dynamic-hydride vapor phase epitaxy with a nitrogen carrier gas

Herein we demonstrate record GaAs growth rates approaching 530 μm/h using nitrogen carrier gas and 400 μm/h using hydrogen carrier gas in a dynamic-hydride vapor phase epitaxy reactor. We measured root mean square surface roughness below 1 nm using a 1 μm × 1 μm atomic force microscopy scan for GaAs growth rates up to 483 μm/h using a nitrogen carrier gas and 400 μm/h using a hydrogen carrier gas. We performed computational fluid dynamics modeling to study the effect of the carrier gas choice on the thermal profile within the reactor and how that influences the degree of AsH 3 decomposition. The modeling suggests that the lower thermal conductivity of the nitrogen carrier gas minimizes the amount of AsH 3 that thermally decomposes before reaching the wafer surface and the heavier atomic mass decreases the likelihood that AsH 3 will reach the heated reactor walls, leading to a growth rate enhancement relative to the hydrogen carrier case in a hydride-enhanced growth regime.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2025

Accumulation of trace elements in soil and fauna within a site historically contaminated with coal combustion residues

Legacy contaminants tied to energy production are a worldwide concern. Coal combustion residues (CCRs) contain high concentrations of potentially toxic trace elements such as arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), and selenium (Se), which can persist for decades after initial contamination. Coal combustion residue disposal methods, including aquatic settling basins and landfills, can facilitate environmental exposure through intentional and accidental releases. Wildlife exposed to CCRs can experience numerous deleterious effects, such as on development, reproduction, and survival. In the current study, we quantified and compared concentrations of As, Hg, Se, and strontium (Sr) within soils and target fauna (three vertebrate and three invertebrate taxa) from a CCR-contaminated site and a reference site within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, South Carolina, United States. Our objectives were to (1) compare current concentrations of tested elements in soil and resident fauna to levels from our reference site, (2) assess natural attenuation of elements in soils by comparing current concentrations to historic levels, and (3) evaluate the biomagnification potential of the elements measured via body burden and trophic position correlations among fauna. Here, element concentrations were higher in contaminated soils than reference soils; however, concentrations in 2022 were unchanged from concentrations measured in 2003, suggesting no natural attenuation of tested elements. Additionally, target fauna had elevated As, Se, and Sr levels in comparison to reference samples. A positive correlation was observed in southern toads between Sr concentrations and trophic position, as assessed by nitrogen stable isotope ratios, suggesting potential for biomagnification of Sr within our study system. Collectively, our results demonstrate that legacy contaminants are still present and bioaccumulate in a diversity of taxa in a CCR-contaminated site that has not received effluents in more than 50 years, suggesting monitoring programs in CCR-contaminated sites should be maintained long term in the absence of remediation.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗

DOE OSTI2025

Multi-faceted framework for extrapolating early age flexural strength to facilitate rapid lifting/handling of high-volume fly ash precast members

Maintaining adequate early-age structural performance for precast concrete components has grown in importance as more sustainable mix designs become more widespread. Achieving high-early flexural strength is particularly crucial to facilitate rapid removal of hardened concrete components from formwork, often within 24 h after fresh concrete placement. Limited research has assessed the effectiveness of traditional design methods in correlating flexural strength with compressive strength for next-generation mix designs, or demonstrated extrapolation of such material performance to larger-scale structural tests. This paper presents a multi-faceted framework to reassess early-age flexural strength for concretes made with relatively high proportions of fly ash from both fresh and harvested sources. Here, the framework provides several pathways, from which the user can select based upon available resources and the specific application, to improve accuracy of early-age cracking moment calculations. Furthermore, the scope includes evaluation of strength performance under curing conditions emulative of those in a precast facility, recommending modulus of rupture equations which are more performance-driven than current design provisions, and experimental tests on prefabricated concrete beams to validate the proposed methodologies. Correlations of early-age strength with both concrete age and maturity measurements compare the effectiveness of utilizing in-situ data to further enhance the prediction methods. Ultimately, the proposed framework helped reduce errors when calculating cracking moment capacity at early ages by tailoring calculations to reflect mix-dependent behavior. Furthermore, most estimates of cracking moment were within 25 % of their corresponding experimental test results, thus promoting confidence for using these strategies with high-volume fly ash precast structures.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Pilot plant reliability metrics for grinding and fast pyrolysis of woody residues

Here we report on the effects of loblolly pine residue variability on material throughput, pilot plant uptime, operator intervention, product yield, and product quality for grinding, fast pyrolysis, and hydrotreating operations. Preprocessing throughput using a hammer mill varied between 31-48% of nameplate capacity (5 tons/hr). Grinder overloads in the size reduction step were more prevalent for lower ash and higher moisture materials. Fast pyrolysis throughput varied between 57-72% of nameplate capacity (20 kg/hr) and bio-oil yields varied between 46-53% (feedstock carbon to oil, dry basis). During fast pyrolysis operations, downtime was caused by bridging in the feed and char removal systems and plugging in the condensation system. Cohesion of feedstock and char leading to system plugging was less frequent for higher ash feedstocks, and differences in condenser plugging behavior between high and low ash feedstocks were observed. The catalyst stability of the bio-oil stabilization step was strongly dependent on the sulfur content in the bio-oil, which was higher for the high-ash residue oils. Lower moisture content in the starting biomass was consistent with lower sulfur content in bio-oil. Yields and properties of hydrotreated fuel products showed minimal deference among the bio-oils.

Klinger, Jordan↗

DOE OSTI2025

Coal-Waste-Enhanced Filaments for Additive Manufacturing of High-Temperature Plastics and Ceramic Composites

In the United States, coal waste from over a century of mining and burning coal for heat and electricity has accumulated as mountains of coal fly ash and bottom ash and acre-size ponds, coal fines and gob. These materials can be a problem for local communities and water systems. A cost-effective process to utilize high volumes of these coal wastes in a high-value product would be beneficial to those communities by reducing the amount of waste and providing jobs, manufacturing components, and materials from the waste. Many coal-to-products technologies (e.g., carbon fibers, graphene, carbon foam) rely on carefully choosing the starting material and then altering it chemically or thermally to make the products work. Due to the wide variability of composition and coal content in typical coal waste streams, many high-volume coal waste streams are likely to be unsuitable for use in those technologies. Semplastics’ technology has been shown to utilize most types of coal waste successfully without any pre-selection or pre-processing requirements other than a nominal particle-size reduction for wastes like bottom ash. This characteristic of Semplastics’ solution may enable the use of much larger volumes of a wider range of coal wastes than other coal-to-products technologies. In this project, Semplastics leveraged its unique experience with both coal waste (fly ash or coal combustion residuals), resin materials, and 3D printing to develop 3D printer filaments using common coal wastes – bituminous coal fines and fly ash – and researched the feasibility of using other forms of coal waste as fillers. Simple 3D-printed parts were successfully produced from the coal waste enhanced filaments, which were found to have improved strength and stiffness.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2024

Performance Testing of a Moving-Bed Gasifier Using Coal, Biomass, and Waste Plastic Blends with Washed and Unwashed Legacy Coals and Other Waste Fuels to Generate White Hydrogen

The objective of this effort, primarily funded by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), and led by the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI), with support by Hamilton Maurer International (HMI) and Sotacarbo S.p.A. (Sotacarbo), has been to qualify coal, biomass, and plastic waste blends based on performance testing of selected fuel pellet compositions in a pilot-scale updraft moving-bed (UDMB) gasifier. The testing provided relevant data to advance the commercial-scale design of the moving-bed gasifier to be able to successfully use these feedstocks to produce hydrogen. In particular, the effects of waste plastics on feedstock development (i.e., blending and pelletizing) and the resulting products (i.e., syngas compositions, organic condensate production, and ash characteristics) are the focus. The gasifier used for testing is HMI’s moving-bed gasifier, which has been proven capable of gasifying nearly all coal ranks. It has also shown the ability in prior testing work to gasify wood chips (biomass). However, mixtures of these fuels with plastic wastes have not been prepared and gasified together. The three feedstocks were densified and pelletized by California Pellet Mill (CPM) to meet the feedstock size required by Sotacarbo’s 30mm ID UDMB gasifier, under contract to HMI. The technical tasks and results from this two-year research project included: (1) Feed Procurement and Preparation: Nine different tri-fuel pellets were prepared from varying compositions of fresh mined PRB coal, corn stover biomass, and car fluff waste plastics. Tri-fuel pellets were produced by CPM and shipped to Sotacarbo’s test facility in Carbonia, Sardinia, Italy. (2) Test Plan Development: A test plan was created to define the test runs to be performed. The test plan detailed the different UDMB gasification tests to be performed in Sotacarbo’s 12-inch ID pilot scale gasifier, the process monitoring instrumentation used, and the extractive samples recovered for analysis of the total gasification process mass and energy balance. (3) Gasifier Testing: Nine different gasification runs were performed in the pilot-scale gasifier at Sotacarbo using nine different fuel feedstock compositions generated from varying mixtures of PRB coal, biomass, and plastic wastes. The testing generated performance data on gasification reaction efficiency and performance, yielding relevant data for models used to scale up the gasifier design. This task also included work to refurbish and reassemble the pilot gasifier at Sotacarbo and perform a baseline 100% PRB coal run. (4) Data Analysis and Reporting: Review of the data, determination of figures of merit, and interpretation of the results are reported in the project’s final report, published in March 2024. The results show that all tri-fuel pellets gasified well and maintained structural integrity throughout the gasification process. The syngas generated can be shifted to hydrogen by using commercial syngas shifting technologies. (5) High Fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) Simulation: The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) team performed CFD simulations of the UDMB gasifier for two of the tri-fuel pellets gasified in Sotacarbo’s pilot scale gasifier. The kinetic mechanisms for the pyrolysis of each constituent, PRB coal, corn stover biomass, and waste plastics are based on thermogravimetric analysis performed by Sotacarbo. The gasification model was validated by comparing the predicted syngas composition at the exit of the gasifier with the measured syngas composition. In addition, the reactor’s measured internal temperature profile agreed well with the predicted internal reactor temperature profile. These results validate that the model can be used to predict the performance of the updraft moving bed gasifier for different feedstocks and operating conditions. This paper summarizes the results of the completed work in which the pelletizing procedure was validated to ensure the viability of the tri-fuel pellets for the gasification runs performed at Sotacarbo’s 30 mm UDMB gasifier. The gasification performance data from this series of nine runs will enable modeling of a full-scale HMI industrial scale gasifier supporting both combined heat and power, and Hydrogen production from coal (both fresh mined and legacy) combined with various biomass and waste plastics. Additionally, plans and progress on a follow-up project, being executed by the same project team, will be presented. In this project, a total of twenty (20) different feedstocks are being prepared from varying compositions of biomass (both woody biomass and corn stover) with a mixture of legacy coal waste, plastic waste, and refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The testing will provide information on gasification reaction efficiency/performance, yielding relevant data for models used to scale up the gasifier design to 50 megawatt electric (MWe) (equivalent hydrogen production). Tests will also be performed on a bench-scale fluidized-bed gasifier for comparison purposes. The results of this testing will be used to specify the range of feedstock blends that can be successfully gasified as well as quantify gasifier outputs based on specific blends.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2024

Phosphonate functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica for rare earth element recovery from citrate assisted solid waste extracts

The growing high demand of rare earth elements (REEs) has prompted extensive research on REE recovery from waste streams. This study reports the synthesis and evaluation of phosphonate-functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica (MMS-PP) for REE recovery from the acidic extracts of solid wastes. MMS-PP was synthesized using surfactant template and post-synthesis methods, and tested using simulated and real extraction solutions from citrate-assisted REE extracts from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) ash. The organic-inorganic hybrid MMS-PP was evaluated for La recovery from 50 mM simulated citrate extract, with the adsorption capacity of 13.5 mg/g compared to ∼2.5 mg/g for non-functionalized MMS. The MMS-PP material exhibited fast adsorption within 10 min, good La selectivity against competing Na + and Ca 2+ , moderate selectivity against Al 3+ and Fe 3+ , high recyclability over multiple adsorption-desorption cycles, and equivalent efficiency for La, Ce, Nd, and Y recovery. Furthermore, the MMS-PP material also demonstrated 70–95% REE recovery from real citrate extracts of MSWI ash, and the spent MMS-PP material can be regenerated and reused for multiple cycles. Functionalized mesoporous materials in combination with organic-ligand assisted extraction can potentially provide a green, effective, and tunable solid-liquid separation platform for REE recovery from complex solid waste streams.

REE recovery↗