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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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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Plants and men in space - A new field in plant physiology

Results are presented on a comparison of nutritional values of and human psychological responses to algae and of higher plants considered for growth as food on long-term missions in space, together with the technological complexities of growing these plants. The comparison shows the advantages of higher plants, with results suggesting that a high level of material recycling can be obtained. It is noted that the issue of space gravity may be not a major problem for plants because of the possibility that phototropism can provide an alternative sense of direction. Problems of waste recycling can be solved in association with plant cultivation, and a high degree of autonomy of food production can be obtained.

Andre, M.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Program Promotion Can Distort Space Systems Engineering and Deny Risk

NASA's spectacular success in the Apollo moon landings was achieved against the odds by an obsessive dedication to reducing the great risk. But risk analysis predicted so many astronaut fatalities that it was thought to be unreasonably pessimistic and potentially damaging to the Apollo program. Risk analysis was discontinued, risk was neglected in space shuttle engineering, and so the space shuttle design was unnecessarily dangerous. Since the Apollo era it has been understood that long human space missions would recycle oxygen and water to avoid the very high launch cost of directly supplying them. The development of recycling systems was justified by the need to increase material closure and reduce launch mass. When it was recognized that increasing closure leads to rapidly diminishing returns, the program goal was changed to reducing launch mass and reliability, cost, and risk were considered irrelevant. Systems engineering and especially the discouraging problems of risk and cost have been deliberately ignored because they detract from program promotion, with unfortunate results. Current human launch system design does account for risk and the result strongly resembles Apollo. Current life support design continues to assume recycling, even though the recent great reduction in launch cost now allows direct supply of oxygen and water with significantly better quality, reliability, cost, and risk.

Advocacy↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mars Transit Life Support, Open, Closed, or Mixed?

Brief human space missions such as Apollo and shuttle used material storage to provide life support but long missions such as a trip to Mars and back are expected to use a recycling life support system similar to the one on the International Space Station (ISS). Mars transit life support design is investigated considering requirements, performance, reliability, cost, and risk. The launch cost, crew size, and reliability are variable parameters that affect the life support design choice. Greater launch cost and larger crew size tend to make recycling more cost-effective than resupply. A higher reliability requirement tends to favor resupply over recycling. A mixed system combining direct supply of minimal survival materials for very high reliability with additional materials provided by recycling systems seems the best choice.

Mars life support↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enzymatic Nylon Deconstruction: Enzyme Discovery, Engineering, and Opportunities

Nylons are widely used synthetic polyamides valued for their strength, versatility, and durability across diverse applications. However, their petrochemical origin and energy-intensive production underscore the need for efficient, circular solutions. Conventional recycling methods remain limited by incomplete recovery, material degradation, and costly sorting requirements. Enzymatic depolymerization offers a selective, low-energy alternative capable of processing mixed waste streams under mild conditions. While significant progress has been achieved for polyesters, enzymatic degradation of polyamides is still at an early stage. The discovery of nylon hydrolases demonstrated the potential of biological systems to evolve catalysts for synthetic polyamides, yet reported depolymerization yields remain low. These limitations reflect both the structural complexity of nylons and the need for improved enzyme discovery and engineering. In conclusion, this review highlights recent advances, key challenges, and future directions for enzymatic nylon recycling, outlining its potential role enabling mixed polymer waste to be used as a green feedstock for remanufacturing.

Amides↗
DOE OSTI2024

Recycling of Titanium Scrap by Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE)

Titanium and its alloys are used in the aviation and automobile industries due to their remarkable strength to weight ratio, but, commonly, machining loss is high with ~90 wt.% of the material being converted to scrap. Recycling post-consumer Ti scrap directly into solid bulk products is a potential solution for repurposing valuable material. Further, reducing or even eliminating fresh Ti sponge during recycling might lead to lower energy and greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, a solid-phase process known as friction extrusion was utilized to recycle Ti-6Al-4V machining chips into solid wires which could be used as feedstock in additive manufacturing. The friction consolidation technique was first used to convert chips with varying degrees of oxygen content into solid billets for its use as feedstock material in subsequent friction extrusion. The extrudates were fabricated above the beta transition temperature, which was achieved by selecting rotation rate and feed rate, to process the billets near 1000°C using a tungsten-lanthana extrusion die. This work presents the first occurrence of friction extruded titanium alloy wires. The effect of friction extrusion on microstructural features, tensile properties, and texture are reported. Overall, the friction extrusion method is capable of recycling Ti-6Al-4V scrap directly into extruded wire.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Carbon Fiber Prepreg Recycling- Automated Perform Manufacturing Equipment (Final Technical Report)

Discontinuous fiber composites have a compelling business case as related to light metals such as aluminum and magnesium machined or die cast components. DFC’s have been in commercial production using carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg for both commercial aircraft and for military applications for a number of years and their usage is expanding into automotive and consumer goods components. Reasons for this include significantly lower cost as compared to continuous fiber composites easier design and understanding of the material by metal traditionalists, higher degree of part complexity with relatively simple and low cost molds when compared to high-pressure die casting, and potential for near zero waste. IACMI’s 10-year goals of reduction in carbon fiber reinforced plastics manufacturing cost by 25%, reduction in their embodied energy by 50%, and recyclability of 95% can all be advanced through robust recycling. With recycling We have shown that a 15% contribution in manufacturing cost reduction is feasible, that a significant reduction in embodied energy (over 90% for the recycled fraction) is achievable, and that when combined with primary pyrolysis recycling, the 95% target can be met. Large-scale application of advanced composites began with the aerospace industry, and CRTC’s location in Washington State provided access to a waste stream of nearly 900 tonnes/year that was going to landfill. As the aerospace industry has automated parts production, their material forms have become significantly easier to recycle, and some evidence of this exists for the future automotive and wind turbine components as well. CRTC decided to focus on re-purposing the carbon fiber/epoxy aerospace scrap streams through materials reformatting and reuse, and not on primary recycling (pyrolysis mainly) as this technology is commercially available. The main reasons for this were that it offers a route to effective use of the most widely available and consistent feedstock called edge-trim, as well as allows creation of complex and low-cost parts using rapid and cost-effective compression molding technologies. The reasons also include leading the way for potential automotive pre-preg recycling as the combination of roughly 85% virgin pre-preg and 15% recycled pre-preg directly supports IACMI’s goals and enables significant part cost reduction and a path to zero-waste composite manufacturing at the OEMs or Tier 1’s. The purpose of the project was to develop equipment and technology to transform continuous fiber pre-preg in roll forms into smaller chip-format DFC feedstock, and to determine impacts on moldability and performance based on lessons learned along the path. The availability of scrap from pre-preg manufacturers was a significant value to the program even though the aerospace pre-preg is designed to be autoclave molded thus has handling, tackiness, and processing factors that are not ideal for DFCs. The scope of the project was to develop a Phase 1 system that could identify and resolve some of the major hurdles, determine where to focus effort on building a commercial-scale Phase 2 system, and develop technology for handling a wide variety of incoming scrap materials to produce the most usable product. A chopping system was developed and reduced to practice via an experimental approach that enabled all forms of scrap coming from the pre-preg manufacturers and some forms of the scrap coming from OEM production lines to be very effectively re-purposed. The systems that were developed were not considered to be production robust but rather identified and resolved some of the major technical hurdles, and demonstrated the path towards effective full-scale commercialization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2004

Advanced Life Support Water Recycling Technologies Case Studies: Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal and Direct Osmotic Concentration

Design for microgravity has traditionally not been well integrated early on into the development of advanced life support (ALS) technologies. NASA currently has a many ALS technologies that are currently being developed to high technology readiness levels but have not been formally evaluated for microgravity compatibility. Two examples of such technologies are the Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal Technology and the Direct Osmotic Concentration Technology. This presentation will cover the design of theses two systems and will identify potential microgravity issues.

Flynn, Michael↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development of a Castable High Strength Secondary Aluminum Alloy from Recycled Wrought Aluminum Scrap

A new process for recycling scrap AA7075 aerospace alloys directly into a high strength castable secondary alloy is demonstrated. The process involves enhancing the castability of the utilized primary wrought aluminum scrap feedstock by scrap alloy chemistry optimization and zirconium additions in order to mitigate the inherent hot tearing tendency of 7075 alloys. By utilizing the new process, the hot tearing index of scrap AA7075 was reduced from 26 to 4. Defect-free castings were obtained in pilot-scale castings trials. The developed secondary 7075 alloy also satisfied preset target mechanical properties with strength levels exceeding 250 MPa and elongation levels higher than 3%. The validity of the new approach and its readiness for transition to commercial practice was demonstrated by casting cylinder heads directly from the modified 7075 scrap.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Estimates of global recycling coefficients for LTX- β discharges

We report the first observation of global recycling coefficient R near 0.5 in the Lithium Tokamak eXperiment-β (LTX-β), significantly below the minimum R previously reported in other devices. In a series of experiments with varied Li wall conditioning, estimates of the recycling coefficient have been made using a Lyman-α array and DEGAS2 modeling. A progressive reduction in Lyman-α emission with increased lithium and an increase in edge electron temperature are observed. It is also observed that with increasing Li coating thickness, the effective particle confinement time τp* is reduced and approaches TRANSP calculated energy confinement time (τE), with τp* near τE,TRANSP for the lowest recycling coefficients. Edge temperatures approaching core plasma temperatures, first reported in LTX, can now be directly connected to estimates of the recycling coefficient and qualitatively agree with previous UEDGE simulations. The particle flux to the limiting surfaces appears to be significantly reduced in comparison with fluid scrape-off layer (SOL) models, indicating that a large fraction of the SOL ions are mirror trapped. SOL collisionality drops more than an order of magnitude below the banana regime boundary, indicating the importance of kinetic effects. Full-f 1x2v gyrokinetic simulations of SOL field lines with the GKEYLL code indicate that the fraction of ions trapped along field lines increases as collisionality drops, as a result of increased lithium evaporation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Determination of the regeneration energy of direct air capture solvents/sorbents using calorimetric methods

Regeneration energy and recyclability are important parameters that dictate the viability of a CO 2 direct air capture (DAC) process. In this study, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used in conjunction with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to evaluate the regeneration energy required for CO 2 -loaded 3 M aqueous potassium sarcosinate (K-SAR) solvent and crystalline methyl-glyoxal-bisiminoguanidine (MGBIG) sorbent. Based on calorimetric measurements, for aqueous K-SAR, the sensible heat amounts to 1.5 GJ/tCO 2 and the enthalpy of desorption is estimated at 3.68 GJ/tCO 2 . The total energy of regeneration will also include the enthalpy of solvent vaporization, which will depend on the thermodynamic conditions and the level of regeneration. For MGBIG, the total regeneration energy required was measured at approximately 7.0 GJ/tCO 2 . Further, FTIR measurements were used to observe CO 2 and H 2 O release during the thermal regeneration process. For K-SAR, CO 2 release is seen to take place at temperatures greater than 80 °C and, for MGBIG, the CO 2 release takes place at temperatures greater than 100 °C. The moderate temperatures required for K-SAR and MGBIG regenerations compared to other DAC solvents/sorbents suggest that low-cost sources of heat, such as geothermal heat, could potentially be used for regeneration to drive down the cost of direct air capture.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Oxidation Chemistry of Bicarbonate and Peroxybicarbonate: Implications for Carbonate Management in Energy Storage

Carbonate formation presents a major challenge to energy storage applications based on low-temperature CO 2 electrolysis and recyclable metal–air batteries. While direct electrochemical oxidation of (bi)carbonate represents a straightforward route for carbonate management, knowledge of the feasibility and mechanisms of direct oxidation is presently lacking. Herein, we report the isolation and characterization of the bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium salts of bicarbonate and peroxybicarbonate, thus enabling the examination of their oxidation chemistry. Infrared spectroelectrochemistry combined with time-resolved infrared spectroscopy reveals that the photoinduced oxidation of HCO 3 – by an Ir(III) photoreagent results in the generation of the short-lived bicarbonate radical in less than 50 ns. The highly acidic bicarbonate radical undergoes proton transfer with HCO 3 – to furnish the carbonate radical anion and H 2 CO 3 , leading to the eventual release of CO 2 and H 2 O, thus accounting for the appearance of H 2 O and CO 2 in both electrochemical and photochemical oxidation experiments. Here, the back reaction of the carbonate radical subsequently oxidizes the Ir(II) photoreagent, leading to carbonate. In the absence of this back reaction, dimerization of the carbonate radical provides entry into peroxybicarbonate, which we show undergoes facile oxidation to O 2 and CO 2 . Together, the results reported identify tangible pathways for the design of catalysts for the management of carbonate in energy storage applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

BOTTLE 1 - Introduction and BOTTLE Overview

The Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) Consortium aims to develop robust processes to upcycle existing waste plastics and to develop new plastics that are recyclable-by-design, both in direct alignment with DOE's Strategy for Plastics Innovation. We accomplish our work in the BOTTLE Consortium through an organizational framework that includes three primary research tasks, Deconstruction, Upcycling, and Redesign, which are supported by three cross-cutting tasks, Analysis, Characterization, and Modeling, BOTTLE also has tasks focused on Industry Engagement and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This presentation will review the approach and management structure of BOTTLE, the importance of analysis-guided research, and the key metrics for carbon, economic, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions. In the FY21-FY23 period, BOTTLE has drafted and enacted a comprehensive DEI plan, assembled a world-class Technical Advisory Board (TAB) to provide constructive feedback on our performance, had our first in-person all-hands meeting in summer 2022, and on-boarded and off-boarded research activities based on active project management and analysis. From an impact perspective, BOTTLE researchers have published over 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts (many in leading journals), submitted >30 patent applications, and initiated 6 funds-in industry partnerships.

BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Experimental study on the role of the target electron temperature as a key parameter linking recycling to plasma performance in JET-ILW*

Changes in global and edge plasma parameters (H98(y,2), dimensionless collisionality ν*, core density peaking, separatrix density ne,sep) with variations in the D2 fueling rate and divertor configuration are unified into a single trend when mapped to $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$, the spatially averaged spectroscopically derived outer target electron temperature. Dedicated JET with the ITER-like wall (JET-ILW) experiments in combination with an extended JET-ILW database of unseeded low-triangularity H-mode plasmas spanning a wide range of D2 fueling rates, Ip, Bt and heating power have demonstrated the importance of $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$ as a key physics parameter linking the recycling particle source and detachment with plasma performance. The remarkably robust H98(y,2) trend with $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$ is connected to a strong inverse correlation between $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$, ne,sep and ν*, thus directly linking changes in the divertor recycling moderated by $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$ with the previously established relationship between ν*, core density peaking and core pressure resulting in a degradation in core plasma performance with decreasing $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$ (increasing ν*). Additionally, a strong inverse correlation between the separatrix to pedestal density ratio, ne,sep/ne,ped, and $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$ is also established, with the rise in ne,sep/ne,ped saturating at $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$ > 10 eV. A strong reduction in H98(y,2) is observed as $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$ is driven from 30 to 10 eV via additional D2 gas fueling, while the divertor remains attached. Consequently, the pronounced performance degradation in attached divertor conditions has implications for impurity seeding radiative divertor scenarios, in which H98(y,2) is already low (~0.7) before impurities are injected into the plasma since moderate gas fueling rates are required to promote high divertor neutral pressure. A favorable pedestal pressure, pe,ped, dependence on Ip has also been observed, with an overall increase in pe,ped at Ip = 3.4 MA as $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$ is driven down from attached to high-recycling divertor conditions. In contrast, pe,ped is reduced with decreasing $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$ in the lower Ip branches. Further work is needed to (i) clarify the potential role of edge opacity on the observed favorable pedestal pressure Ip scaling; as well as to (ii) project the global and edge plasma performance trends with $\langle$Te,ot$\rangle$ to reactor-scale devices to improve predictive capability of the coupling between recycling and confined plasma fueling in what are foreseen to be more opaque edge plasma conditions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Roadmap for a sustainable circular economy in lithium-ion and future battery technologies

Abstract The market dynamics, and their impact on a future circular economy for lithium-ion batteries (LIB), are presented in this roadmap, with safety as an integral consideration throughout the life cycle. At the point of end-of-life (EOL), there is a range of potential options—remanufacturing, reuse and recycling. Diagnostics play a significant role in evaluating the state-of-health and condition of batteries, and improvements to diagnostic techniques are evaluated. At present, manual disassembly dominates EOL disposal, however, given the volumes of future batteries that are to be anticipated, automated approaches to the dismantling of EOL battery packs will be key. The first stage in recycling after the removal of the cells is the initial cell-breaking or opening step. Approaches to this are reviewed, contrasting shredding and cell disassembly as two alternative approaches. Design for recycling is one approach that could assist in easier disassembly of cells, and new approaches to cell design that could enable the circular economy of LIBs are reviewed. After disassembly, subsequent separation of the black mass is performed before further concentration of components. There are a plethora of alternative approaches for recovering materials; this roadmap sets out the future directions for a range of approaches including pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, short-loop, direct, and the biological recovery of LIB materials. Furthermore, anode, lithium, electrolyte, binder and plastics recovery are considered in order to maximise the proportion of materials recovered, minimise waste and point the way towards zero-waste recycling. The life-cycle implications of a circular economy are discussed considering the overall system of LIB recycling, and also directly investigating the different recycling methods. The legal and regulatory perspectives are also considered. Finally, with a view to the future, approaches for next-generation battery chemistries and recycling are evaluated, identifying gaps for research. This review takes the form of a series of short reviews, with each section written independently by a diverse international authorship of experts on the topic. Collectively, these reviews form a comprehensive picture of the current state of the art in LIB recycling, and how these technologies are expected to develop in the future.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Upcycling Mixed Spent Ni-Lean Cathodes into Ni-Rich Polycrystalline Cathodes

Sustainable battery recycling is vital for conserving resources and reducing environmental impacts. Current open- and closed-loop recycling strategies often focus on recovering individual components, making the reuse of mixed cathode materials a complex challenge. Meanwhile, the research on upcycling has been limited to using pristine cathode feedstocks and virgin materials for synthesis. Here, to address this issue, we present an upcycling approach for spent Ni-lean mixed cathode materials that integrate an upcycling hydrometallurgical recycling process with traditional hydrometallurgical methods. This strategy achieves a utilization of 92.31 mol % of recycled materials, enabling the regeneration of Ni-rich cathode materials while significantly reducing the reliance on virgin resources. The regenerated 83Ni cathode materials demonstrate physical properties comparable to those produced from virgin materials. Electrochemical evaluations using single-layer pouch cells show that both recycled and virgin cathodes exhibit initial specific capacity close to 201.1 mAh/g and maintain approximately 88 % capacity retention after 500 cycles. Additionally, 2Ah cells confirmed these findings, delivering 85 % capacity retention after about 900 cycles. Techno-economic analysis demonstrates notable environmental benefits, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, achieving 232.75 MJ/kg of product, which is 8.6 % lower than traditional methods and comparable to direct upcycling. Furthermore, the upcycling hydrometallurgical recycling process generates the highest profit, proving its economic viability. This scalable and versatile process is adaptable to varying transition metal compositions, facilitating a closed-loop recycling system that bridges mixed spent cathodes with next-generation cathode materials, and offers a sustainable solution for managing waste battery materials.

Hydrometallurgical recycling↗
DOE OSTI2023

Polarized fusion and potential in situ tests of fuel polarization survival in a tokamak plasma

Abstract The use of spin-polarized fusion fuels would provide a significant boost towards the ignition of a burning plasma. The cross section for D + T → α + n, would be increased by 1.5 if the fuels were injected with parallel polarization. Furthermore, our simulations demonstrate additional non-linear power gains in large-scale machines such as ITER, due to increased alpha heating. Such benefits require the survival of spin polarizations for periods comparable to the particle confinement time. During the 1980s, calculations predicted that polarizations could survive a plasma environment, although concerns persisted regarding the cumulative impacts of wall recycling. In that era, technical challenges prevented direct tests and left the large scale fueling of a power reactor beyond reach. Over the last decades, this situation has changed dramatically. Detailed simulations of ITER have predicted negligible wall recycling in a high-power reactor, and recent advances in laser-driven sources project the capability of producing large quantities of ∼100% polarized D and T. The remaining crucial step is an in-situ demonstration of polarization survival in a plasma. For this, we outline a measurement strategy using the isospin-mirror reaction, D + 3 He → α + p. Polarized 3 He avoids the complexities of handling tritium, while encompassing the same spin-physics. We evaluate two methods of delivering deuterium, using dynamically polarized Lithium-Deuteride (with vector polarization P V D of 70%) or frozen-spin Hydrogen-Deuteride (with P V D of 40%), together with a method of injecting optically-pumped 3 He (with 65% polarization). Pellets of these materials all have long polarization decay times (∼6 min for LiD at 2 K, ∼2 months for HD at 2 K, and ∼3 d for 3 He at 77 K), all far greater than a plasma shot in a research tokamak such as DIII-D (∼20 s). Both species can be propelled from a single cryogenic injection gun. We review plasma requirements and strategies for detecting polarization survival. Polarization alters both fusion yields and the angular distribution of fusion products, and each of these provides a potential signal. In this paper we simulate a selection of shots with similar characteristics in a future high-T ion H plasma, and find ratios of yields from shots with fuel spins parallel and antiparallel reaching 1.3 (HD + 3 He) to 1.6 (LiD + 3 He) over a wide range of poloidal angles. (A companion paper finds sensitivity to fusion product angular distributions as reflected in the pitch angles of protons and alphas reaching the plasma facing wall.)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗