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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.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Maximizing the Proppant Carrying and Viscoelastic Properties of the Bakken Hypersaline-Produced Water with High-Viscosity Friction Reducers for Sustainable Applications

Summary The development and production of unconventional reservoirs, such as the Bakken Formation, have become a resolved mystery for operators in North America since the arrival and advancement of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. As a result, unconventional reservoir assets became the central focus of the oil and gas industry at the state, national, and global levels. The produced water from these activities in the Bakken Formation have high salt contents (110,000–350,000 ppm) total dissolve solids (TDS) and can pose significant challenges to the environment if not treated. Deep injection into disposal wells is the routine method used to get rid of the Bakken produced water. However, there have been some concerns that unrestrained injections, in addition to polluting the groundwater, could potentially lead to seismic activities either at the time of injection or in the near future. To diminish the environmental impacts that may be associated with induced seismicity, including the reduction of the costs of water acquisition, the produced water can be treated and reused in the hydraulic fracturing processes. Also, the treated water could be used for irrigation purposes, for power generation, and coal mining operations. The issues of waste water and residual oil high in TDS are challenges yet to be effectively addressed despite preceding research and studies on advancing produced water technologies. The goal of this study is to explore all applicable ways by which the produced water from the Bakken Formation can serve as a replacement base fluid for use with polymers like the high-viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) to create hydraulic fracturing fluids that can be stable with reservoir conditions and also be able to minimize environmental impacts and cost of operations. Experimental investigations using the high-salinity produced water from the Bakken Formation with HVFRs were carried out. The studies included a base case that served as a bench mark for comparing the effectiveness of the other scenarios. The results indicate that the Bakken hyper-saline produced water can withstand effect of heavy metals, salinity, hardness and remain stable through different shear rates (66–330 s−1) when treated with higher dosages [4–8 gal/1,000 gal (gpt)] of HVFRs. Filtration and dilution were the only methods used on the Bakken Formation produced wate for this research

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2020

Economic Extraction, Recovery and Upgrading of Rare Earth Elements from Coal-Based Resources

The overall objective of this project is to produce a rare earth elements product with greater than 8% rare earth elements from coal-based resources using an economically viable and environmentally benign processing methodology. The objective of the coal processing work will be to acquire appropriate coal feed and produce a viable clean coal product, a concentrated REE feed stream, and a pyrite stream (where available) that can be used to enhance leaching. The objective of the bio-oxidation portion of the project is to utilize bacteria to oxidize sulfide minerals and ferrous ions to ferric ions to accelerate leaching and remove the sulfides to prevent future acid mine drainage and related liabilities. The objective of the solution conditioning work is to remove iron and control leaching solution conditions to facilitate extraction of REEs without significant thorium extraction. The objective of the column leaching work is to engineer/model and simulate heap leaching to demonstrate low-cost extraction of REEs from coal-based resources. The objective of the solvent extraction work is to selectively extract and recover through controlled stripping of REEs that are solubilized through leaching. The objective of the precipitation portion of the project is to recover the REEs from the solvent extraction stripping solutions and dry them to achieve the final product of rare earth elements that is > 8 % REEs. The objective of the technical, economic, and environmental analysis is to determine the overall viability of the processing approach that is demonstrated in this project. This project encompasses a range of technologies that are currently in industrial practice that are applied and engineered to produce rare earth element product from coal feed sources. The potential sources include large coal feed resources in active coal mines in addition to coal waste. This technology involves the utilization of advanced coal processing technology that can be used to deliver clean coal for the market as well as rare-earth-element-bearing non-coal rock that is of the correct size for heap leaching applications in addition to providing concentrated sulfide minerals (for mid to high sulfur coals) for cleaner coal and for enhanced bio-oxidation to accelerate leaching of REEs from the non-coal rock. The removal of the sulfide minerals cleans the coal, accelerates subsequent REEs extraction, and it removes the future potential for most acid-rock drainage. (For low sulfur coals some pyrite may be purchased if needed.) The processing method also utilizes bio-oxidation to enhance ferric ion production to enhance leaching, while also consuming the sulfide mineral and its associated environmental liability. The project includes a technical, economic, and environmental analysis to facilitate an appropriate assessment of commercial viability for this processing technology.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2021

National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) Power Sector Technology Roadmap 2021

The National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) is a research consortium formed to accelerate transformative research in desalination and treatment to lower the cost and energy required to produce clean water from nontraditional water sources and realize a circular water economy. NAWI’s goal is to enable the manufacturing of energy-efficient desalination technologies in the United States at a lower cost with the same (or higher) quality and reduced environmental impact for 90 percent of nontraditional water sources within the next 10 years. The nontraditional source waters of interest include brackish water; seawater; produced and extracted water; power, mining, industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste waters. When these desalination and treatment technologies are fully developed and utilized, they will be able to contribute to the water needs for many existing end-use sectors. NAWI has identified five end-use sectors that are critical to the U.S. economy for further exploration: Power, Resource Extraction, Industry, Municipal, and Agriculture (PRIMA). This Power Sector roadmap aims to advance desalination and treatment of nontraditional source waters for beneficial use in public water supplies by identifying research and development (R&D) opportunities that help overcome existing treatment challenges. Under NAWI’s vision, the transition from a linear to a circular water economy with nontraditional source waters will be achieved by advancing desalination and reuse technologies in six key areas: Autonomous operations, Precision separations, Resilient treatment and transport, Intensified brine management, Modular membrane systems, and Electrified treatment systems, collectively known as the A-PRIME areas. Technological advances in these different areas will enable nontraditional source waters to achieve pipe parity with traditional supplies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) Resource Extraction Sector Technology Roadmap 2021

The National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) is a research consortium formed to accelerate transformative research in desalination and treatment to lower the cost and energy required to produce clean water from nontraditional water sources and realize a circular water economy. NAWI’s goal is to enable the manufacturing of energy-efficient desalination technologies in the United States at a lower cost with the same (or higher) quality and reduced environmental impact for 90 percent of nontraditional water sources within the next 10 years. The nontraditional source waters of interest include brackish water; seawater; produced and extracted water; power, mining, industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste waters. When these desalination and treatment technologies are fully developed and utilized, they will be able to contribute to the water needs for many existing end-use sectors. NAWI has identified five end-use sectors that are critical to the U.S. economy for further exploration: Power, Resource Extraction, Industry, Municipal, and Agriculture (PRIMA). This Resource Extraction Sector roadmap aims to advance desalination and treatment of nontraditional source waters for beneficial use in public water supplies by identifying research and development (R&D) opportunities that help overcome existing treatment challenges. Under NAWI’s vision, the transition from a linear to a circular water economy with nontraditional source waters will be achieved by advancing desalination and reuse technologies in six key areas: Autonomous operations, Precision separations, Resilient treatment and transport, Intensified brine management, Modular membrane systems, and Electrified treatment systems, collectively known as the A-PRIME areas. Technological advances in these different areas will enable nontraditional source waters to achieve pipe parity with traditional supplies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) Agriculture Sector Technology Roadmap 2021

The National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) is a research consortium formed to accelerate transformative research in desalination and treatment to lower the cost and energy required to produce clean water from nontraditional water sources and realize a circular water economy. NAWI's goal is to enable the manufacturing of energy-efficient desalination technologies in the United States at a lower cost with the same (or higher) quality and reduced environmental impact for 90 percent of nontraditional water sources within the next 10 years. The nontraditional source waters of interest include brackish water; seawater; produced and extracted water; power, mining, industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste waters. When these desalination and treatment technologies are fully developed and utilized, they will be able to contribute to the water needs for many existing end-use sectors. NAWI has identified five end-use sectors that are critical to the U.S. economy for further exploration: Power, Resource Extraction, Industry, Municipal, and Agriculture (PRIMA). This Agriculture Sector roadmap aims to advance desalination and treatment of nontraditional source waters for beneficial use in public water supplies by identifying research and development (R&D) opportunities that help overcome existing treatment challenges. Under NAWI's vision, the transition from a linear to a circular water economy with nontraditional source waters will be achieved by advancing desalination and reuse technologies in six key areas: Autonomous operations, Precision separations, Resilient treatment and transport, Intensified brine management, Modular membrane systems, and Electrified treatment systems, collectively known as the A-PRIME areas. Technological advances in these different areas will enable nontraditional source waters to achieve pipe parity with traditional supplies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) Municipal Sector Technology Roadmap 2021

The National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) is a research consortium formed to accelerate transformative research in desalination and treatment to lower the cost and energy required to produce clean water from nontraditional water sources and realize a circular water economy. NAWI's goal is to enable the manufacturing of energy-efficient desalination technologies in the United States at a lower cost with the same (or higher) quality and reduced environmental impact for 90 percent of nontraditional water sources within the next 10 years. The nontraditional source waters of interest include brackish water; seawater; produced and extracted water; power, mining, industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste waters. When these desalination and treatment technologies are fully developed and utilized, they will be able to contribute to the water needs for many existing end-use sectors. NAWI has identified five end-use sectors that are critical to the U.S. economy for further exploration: Power, Resource Extraction, Industry, Municipal, and Agriculture (PRIMA). This Municipal Sector roadmap aims to advance desalination and treatment of nontraditional source waters for beneficial use in public water supplies by identifying research and development (R&D) opportunities that help overcome existing treatment challenges. Under NAWI's vision, the transition from a linear to a circular water economy with nontraditional source waters will be achieved by advancing desalination and reuse technologies in six key areas: Autonomous operations, Precision separations, Resilient treatment and transport, Intensified brine management, Modular membrane systems, and Electrified treatment systems, collectively known as the A-PRIME areas. Technological advances in these different areas will enable nontraditional source waters to achieve pipe parity with traditional supplies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) Industrial Sector Technology Roadmap 2021

The National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) is a research consortium formed to accelerate transformative research in desalination and treatment to lower the cost and energy required to produce clean water from nontraditional water sources and realize a circular water economy. NAWI's goal is to enable the manufacturing of energy-efficient desalination technologies in the United States at a lower cost with the same (or higher) quality and reduced environmental impact for 90 percent of nontraditional water sources within the next 10 years. The nontraditional source waters of interest include brackish water; seawater; produced and extracted water; power, mining, industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste waters. When these desalination and treatment technologies are fully developed and utilized, they will be able to contribute to the water needs for many existing end-use sectors. NAWI has identified five end-use sectors that are critical to the U.S. economy for further exploration: Power, Resource Extraction, Industry, Municipal, and Agriculture (PRIMA). This Industrial Sector roadmap aims to advance desalination and treatment of nontraditional source waters for beneficial use in public water supplies by identifying research and development (R&D) opportunities that help overcome existing treatment challenges. Under NAWI's vision, the transition from a linear to a circular water economy with nontraditional source waters will be achieved by advancing desalination and reuse technologies in six key areas: Autonomous operations, Precision separations, Resilient treatment and transport, Intensified brine management, Modular membrane systems, and Electrified treatment systems, collectively known as the A-PRIME areas. Technological advances in these different areas will enable nontraditional source waters to achieve pipe parity with traditional supplies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Rare earth metals from secondary sources: Review of potential supply from waste and byproducts

Current concerns about lack of diversity in supply of critical metals have spurred research into utilizing domestic sources, particularly from waste streams. Sustainability strategies like urban mining, industrial symbiosis, and the circular economy suggest avenues to realize new supplies of critical metals. In this work we explore the resource and economic potential for extracting rare earth elements (REEs) from industry byproducts (e.g. coal combustion products, red mud) and secondary sources (e.g. waste electronics and light bulbs). Combining materials flow analysis and characterization data, we find that while REE concentrations in waste and byproduct streams are mostly much lower than current REE ores, some secondary sources are richer than ores in high value REEs such as scandium. The quantities of REEs contained in secondary sources could meet current global demand even with low extraction yield rates. Phosphogypsum, coal ash and red mud from aluminum production stand out as promising candidates for recovery due to high concentrations of valuable REEs and sufficient quantities to potentially meet demand. Processes to extract REEs from secondary sources are under development, it is not clear yet which will be profitable at scale and which can be achieved at least environmental impact. This work provides high level guidance on the potential of secondary sources by characterizing quality (concentrations of different rare earths) and quantity (mass of rare earths in global scale wastes and byproducts). This significant first step helps clarify directions for policy and research and development investments.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Stochastic Thermo-Hydro Modeling and Neural Network Surrogate Development for Thermal Resource Assessment of the Galleries-to-Calories Geobattery

The Galleries-to-Calories Geobattery concept explores the use of abandoned coal mine workings for large-scale thermal energy transport and storage. The system involves injecting waste heat from a supercomputing facility into flooded mine galleries, where groundwater flow can store and transport thermal energy for potential recovery in downgradient district heating and cooling applications. To evaluate the feasibility and performance of the Geobattery under geological and operational uncertainty, we developed a suite of stochastic thermo-hydrological (TH) simulations using Monte Carlo sampling of key uncertain parameters (e.g., permeability, porosity, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity) and operating conditions (e.g., injection rate, injection temperature). Results identified injection rate and temperature as the most influential parameters governing thermal front propagation, while the geometry of the room-and-pillar structure played a critical role in directing the extent and orientation of thermal advancement. Optimal combinations of material properties for maximizing heat recovery were also determined. To address the high computational cost of coupled-process stochastic modeling, we trained a neural network surrogate model on 24,000 physics-based realizations, achieving an R² > 0.99 and MAE < 0.1 for temperature predictions at monitoring locations. This surrogate enabled an additional 100,000 realizations for global sensitivity analysis and probabilistic thermal resource assessment. The integrated stochastic physics–surrogate modeling framework offers a computationally efficient tool for quantifying uncertainty, identifying key drivers, and informing early-stage design decisions for Geobattery systems.

15 - GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
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↗
NASA NTRS1982

Analysis of space systems for the space disposal of nuclear waste follow-on study. Volume 1: Executive summary

The impact on space systems of three alternative waste mixes was evaluated as part of an effort to investigate the disposal of certain high-level nuclear wastes in space as a complement to mined geologic repositories. A brief overview of the study background, objectives, scope, approach and guidelines, and limitations is presented. The effects of variations in waste mixes on space system concepts were studied in order to provide data for determining relative total system risk benefits resulting from space disposal of the alternative waste mixes. Overall objectives of the NASA-DOE sustaining-level study program are to investigate space disposal concepts which can provide information to support future nuclear waste terminal storage programmatic decisions and to maintain a low level of research activity in this area to provide a baseline for future development should a decision be made to increase the emphasis on this option.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2025

Co-Firing Switchgrass and Waste Coal in A Power Plant: A Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Evaluation for The Ohio River Valley (SWITCH) (Final Technical Report for Ohio State/FE0032204)

Abandoned coal mine lands (AMLs) represent one of the most persistent environmental challenges in the United States. Prior to the enactment of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) in 1977, coal mining operations were not legally required to reclaim disturbed lands, leaving behind approximately 500,000 AML sites nationwide. These sites pose severe environmental and health risks, including acid mine drainage, soil and water contamination, and spontaneous combustion of waste coal piles. Millions of Americans live within one mile of these AMLs, underscoring the urgency of remediation. Traditional reclamation practices, such as planting cool-season grasses, often fail to fully restore ecological function or leverage the economic potential of these lands. This project addressed these challenges by developing integrated strategies for resource recovery, land reclamation, and sustainable energy production. This project evaluated an integrated strategy to convert this liability into an opportunity by recovering waste coal and co-firing it with switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) cultivated on reclaimed or marginal AML areas in existing coal-fired power plants. Switchgrass not only provides a renewable feedstock but also aids in land reclamation and carbon sequestration. 1) Remote Sensing and Machine Learning for Waste Coal Identification Using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and supervised classification, we applied four machine learning models to detect historical waste coal piles. Random Forest achieved the highest accuracy (precision: 86%, recall: 77%). Time-series analysis revealed gradual vegetation recovery since 1986, indicating natural reclamation processes in historical sites, while active mining areas showed ongoing disturbance. This workflow enables scalable monitoring and prioritization of reclamation efforts. 2) UAS-Based Stockpile Volume Estimation To quantify recoverable waste coal, we evaluated Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and multispectral sensors. Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry combined with interpolated Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) achieved strong agreement with LiDAR reference volumes (Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) ≈147 m 3 , Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) ≈2%). Sensitivity analysis confirmed that spatial resolution significantly influences accuracy, emphasizing the need for high-resolution data for precise volume estimation. This approach offers a scalable, cost-effective, and accurate alternative to conventional ground-based surveys. 3) Switchgrass Cultivation for Bioenergy and Water Quality Improvement We assessed the hydrological and water quality impacts of converting AMLs to switchgrass production areas using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Results showed that converting 10% of the watershed area into the switchgrass production zone reduced streamflow by 3.1%, total suspended solids by 18.1%, total nitrogen by 7.6%, and total phosphorus by 6.2%, while achieving biomass yields of 8.6–9.2 metric tons per hectare. These findings highlight switchgrass as a dual-benefit strategy for land reclamation and bioenergy feedstock production. 4) Integrated Co-Firing and CCS for Carbon-Negative Power Generation We modeled co-firing scenarios using the Power Plant Flexible Model (PPFM) to evaluate plant efficiency, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Without carbon capture and storage (CCS), increasing switchgrass co-firing ratios reduced LCOE from $\$$150/MWh at 0% biomass to $\$$110/MWh at full substitution. Under CCS, costs remained higher (~$\$$250/MWh at 0% biomass) but decreased to $\$$200/MWh at 100% biomass, while enabling net-zero or carbon-negative electricity due to switchgrass sequestration benefits. Although CCS introduced efficiency penalties, pairing it with biomass co-firing offset these impacts and maximized climate benefits. Overall, optimizing co-firing ratios between 60-100%, supported by reliable logistics and storage strategies, emerged as a practical pathway to balance affordability, sustainability, and net-zero or negative GHG emissions while promoting productive reuse of AMLs.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2023

Direct recycling of spent nickel-rich cathodes in reciprocal ternary molten salts

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have revolutionized portable electronics and electric vehicles (EVs), but the growing accumulation of end-of-life (EOL) batteries poses environmental challenges. Recycling high-value cathodes from EOL LIBs can minimize waste and reduce the need for mining critical minerals. Here, this study focuses on the direct recycling of Ni-rich cathodes, particularly lithium-manganese-cobalt-oxide (NMC) 622 in a “reciprocal ternary molten salts (RTMS)" system. The ionothermal relithiation in the RTMS system successfully restores the layered structure, lithium content, and electrochemical performance of the NMC 622 cathode, comparable to the pristine material. The cost analysis reveals that cathode regeneration through ionothermal relithiation is more economical than virgin production or conventional recycling methods.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Lanthanide Separations through Helicate Self-Assembly

Skyrocketing demand for rare-earth elements makes their isolation and reuse from electronic waste an increasingly attractive alternative to mining. Typically, the capture of individual lanthanides from mixtures requires the iterative design of complex, macrocyclic ligands, a sometimes successful but often laborious process. Here we show that the self-assembly of rare-earth ions with a ditopic ligand, L d , results in the selective incorporation of smaller lanthanides and gives rise to impressive separation factors. Comparison to a monotopic ligand, L m , shows that the separation performance of ditopic L d critically depends on the presence of two adjacent binding sites. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments show that the selectivity of L d for smaller ions is thermodynamically driven and provide evidence of positive cooperativity among the two binding sites of L d . The simplicity of the separation procedure reported here, requiring only 1 min of sonication in methanol, shows the potential applicability of this approach to real-world separations. Here, by achieving efficient rare-earth separations in small, synthetically facile helicates, this work shows the promise of self-assembly as a mechanism to drive metal separations.

Alcohols↗
DOE OSTI2020

Exploring Electrocatalysis of Methane on Transition Metal Surfaces

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas because it has a heat-absorbing ability that is 20 times stronger than the better-known carbon dioxide. It is also the dominant component of nature gas (>70%). Its current greenhouse effect is only second to carbon dioxide largely because of its relatively low atmospheric concentration. Alarmingly, however, the latter has seen a 1.5-time increase since 1750, mainly due to anthropogenic livestock farming, coal and natural gas mining, and organic matter decomposing in waste landfills. Mitigating such a trend effectively and efficiently is therefore highly desirable and intensely sought for. This final technical report describes some exciting research progresses made over the last three years supported financially by the aforementioned award. The research conducted focused on exploring electrochemical direct methane to methanol (DMTM) conversion under mild conditions. The goal of research was to explore the possibility of developing potentially game-changing electrocatalysts and electrocatalysis that can convert methane directly to methanol in a most sustainable way for curbing its effect on global warming. Progress has been made in the following three directions. First, by adapting a hydrogen fuel-cell configuration that enables gaseous methane to be transported directly to the electrocatalyst surface, we have overcome the perennial difficulty in measuring activity of methane electro-oxidation at low temperature and ambient pressure that has prevented any meaningful studies of electrocatalysis of methane conversion thus far. Second, we have developed a novel and operational in situ electrochemical infrared (IR) spectral cell for studying electrocatalysis of direct methane to methanol conversion. This novel cell is also expected to alleviate the measuring difficulty caused by low solubility of methane in aqueous electrolyte and low sticking coefficient for methane adsorption onto transition metal surface. It will improve significantly the IR’s signal to noise ratio. Third, we have successfully synthesized nano-sizing copper (Cu) exchanged zeolite mordenite (Cu-ZMOR) and coated it with carbon that enabled electrochemical access to the encaged Cu ions. This opens a door to unravel the chemistry of Cu ions in catalyzing direct methane to methanol conversion under mild experimental conditions. Altogether, these progresses achieved have laid a solid foundation for further exploring electrocatalysis of direct methane to methanol conversion in general where there exists “a plenty of room” for new discoveries and developments.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Screening analysis of enhanced weathering of igneous rocks and industrial waste materials

Enhanced weathering (EW) is a promising emerging carbon dioxide removal approach that involves harnessing and accelerating the natural weathering process by which atmospheric CO2 passively reacts with exposed alkaline minerals and is removed from the atmosphere. This manuscript reports on a screening level techno-economic analysis of EW. Two primary cases utilizing different sources of alkaline material are considered: (1) utilizing naturally occurring mined igneous rocks, and (2) utilizing industrial waste materials. The modeled EW process encompasses material purchase, comminution, transport, distribution of material on farmland, and measurement, reporting and verification of CO2 removal. Detailed sensitivities are performed to highlight promising scenarios for application. The analysis highlights that utilizing materials with high weathering potential in suitable locations may result in relatively low levelized cost of captured (less than $100 per total tonnes of CO2 captured from the atmosphere). NETL is publishing a detailed and transparent report titled “Enhanced Weathering: Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Screening Analysis” that includes more detail on the screening level techno-economic analysis and includes a life cycle analysis.

Leptinsky, Sarah [NETL Site Support Contractor, Na↗
DOE OSTI2024

Screening Analysis of Terrestrial Enhanced Rock Weathering of Igneous Rocks and Industrial Waste Materials

This poster, presented at the 17th Greenhouse Gas Control Technology Conference, reports on an NETL screening level techno-economic assessment of enhanced weathering (EW). EW is a promising emerging carbon dioxide removal approach that involves harnessing and accelerating the natural weathering process by which atmospheric CO2 passively reacts with exposed alkaline minerals and is removed from the atmosphere. Two primary cases utilizing different sources of alkaline material are considered: (1) utilizing naturally occurring mined igneous rocks, and (2) utilizing industrial waste materials. The analysis highlights that utilizing materials with high weathering potential in suitable locations may result in relatively low levelized cost of captured. NETL is publishing a detailed and transparent report titled “Enhanced Weathering: Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Screening Analysis” that includes more detail on the screening level techno-economic analysis and includes a life cycle analysis.

carbon dioxide removal↗