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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Multi‐Omics Analyses Reveal Divergent Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Plant Biomass Conversion by Five Fungi

Fungal plant biomass conversion (FPBC) is of great importance to the global carbon cycle and has been increasingly applied for the production of biofuel and biochemicals from lignocellulose. However, the comprehensive understanding of relevant molecular mechanisms in different fungi remains challenging. Here, we comparatively analyzed the transcriptome, proteome and metabolome profile of four ascomycetes and one basidiomycete fungi during their growth on two common agricultural feedstocks (soybean hulls and corn stover). We revealed strong time‐, substrate‐ and species‐specific responses at multi‐omics levels for the tested fungi, highlighting species‐specific carbon utilization approaches and evolutionary adaptation to environmental niches. Notably, a remarkable expressional diversity of lignocellulose degrading enzymes, sugar transporter and metabolic genes, as well as industrially relevant metabolites were identified across different fungi and cultivation conditions. The findings improves our understanding of complex molecular networks underlying FPBC and fungal ecological roles, offering novel insights that can guide future genetic engineering of fungi for valorization of agriculture waste into value‐added bioproducts.

CAZy↗
DOE OSTI2021

A probabilistic economic and environmental impact assessment of a cyanobacteria-based biorefinery

Microbial based biofuels represent a potential promising solution as an environmentally favorable transportation fuel. Cyanobacteria have many of the same advantages as microalgae: ability for rapid growth in otherwise non-arable regions, suitability for genetic engineering, and simple nutritional needs. Additionally, cyanobacteria can be engineered to secrete valuable co-products that can be harvested independent from the produced biomass. However, little work has been done to identify the processes and the economic and environmental impacts associated with a large-scale cyanobacteria-to-fuels facility. The present study is a concurrent techno-economic and life cycle assessment of a facility that generates fuels and methyl laurate, an oleochemical, from the cyanobacterial species Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Here, the biorefinery model includes all aspects of cultivation, separation of the secreted methyl laurate, biomass harvesting and fuel processing via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of the dewatered biomass. The assessments leverage Monte Carlo analysis (MCA) to address uncertainty and variability inherent in the most significant input parameters, replacing them with probabilistic functions. For the facility configuration producing both fuels and the oleochemical co-product, the MCA average minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) is $\$2.47$ per decimeter (dm 3 ) or $\$9.34$ per gallon of gasoline equivalent (gge) with the corresponding average global warming potential determined to be 118 g CO 2 -eq-MJ -1 . The case producing only fuels results in an MCA average MFSP of $\$2.01$-(dm 3 ) -1 ($\$7.60$-gge -1 ) and an average environmental impact of 100 g CO 2 -eq-MJ -1 . These results are compared to static optimistic and conservative scenario analysis estimates, illustrating the over- and under-estimation of outcomes associated with non-stochastic methods. Suggested facility improvements include increases in pond productivity of both the biomass and methyl laurate oil production, as well as improvements to carbon utilization and bio-crude yield from HTL processing.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sea cucumber ( Holothuria glaberrima ) intestinal microbiome dataset from Puerto Rico, generated by shotgun sequencing

The sea cucumber (H. glaberrima) is a species found in the shallow waters near coral reefs and seagrass beds in Puerto Rico. To characterize the microbial taxonomic composition and functional profiles present in the sea cucumber, total DNA was obtained from their intestinal system, fosmid libraries constructed, and subsequent sequencing was performed. The diversity profile displayed that the most predominant domain was Bacteria (76.56 %), followed by Viruses (23.24 %) and Archaea (0.04 %). Within the 11 phyla identified, the most abundant was Proteobacteria (73.16 %), followed by Terrabacteria group (3.20 %) and Fibrobacterota, Chlorobiota, Bacteroidota (FCB) superphylum (1.02 %). The most abundant species were Porvidencia rettgeri (21.77 %), Pseudomonas stutzeri (14.78 %), and Alcaligenes faecalis (5.00 %). The functional profile revealed that the most abundant functions are related to transporters, MISC (miscellaneous information systems), organic nitrogen, energy, and carbon utilization. The data collected in this project on the diversity and functional profiles of the intestinal system of the H. glaberrima provided a detailed view of its microbial ecology. These findings may motivate comparative studies aimed at understanding the role of the microbiome in intestinal regeneration.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fermi-Based Kinetic Model for the Sabatier Reaction: Sabatier Principle and Beyond It

The CO 2 methanation reaction (aka the Sabatier reaction) is one of the important carbon utilization technologies to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases. In this study, kinetic modeling of the Sabatier reaction proceeding via the CO route has been presented by considering weak and strong chemisorption concepts rooted in electronic theory. Based on the single-route mechanism of the Sabatier reaction, the dependence of the reaction rate on the position of the catalyst Fermi level with respect to the antibonding states of the reagent (CO 2 ) and the product (CH 4 ), is demonstrated with the classic Sabatier volcano-shape. Furthermore, the model was applied to explain experimental results of reaction rates for Ni- and Ru-based catalytic systems and to understand origin of enhancement of turnover frequencies established for dynamic catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Net-Zero Ethylene: On the Sustainability, Economics, and Scalability of Synthetic and Fossil Production Pathways

The ethylene industry has contributed over 260 million tons of CO 2 annually, warranting a more sustainable approach. The conversion of CO 2 and H 2 O into ethylene is an appealing technology capable of decoupling chemical production from fossil fuels. However, the large energy demand from this process can potentially lead to adverse environmental impacts. Here, in this article, we critically analyze the economic viability, environmental impact, and scalability of the conversion of CO 2 to ethylene via electrochemical reduction (CO 2 R) and compare this with those of CO 2 -neutral fossil routes utilizing carbon capture and direct air capture. Ethylene derived from CO 2 may be economically competitive under optimistic conditions; however, its large energy requirements pose environmental and scalability challenges. Meeting forecast 2050 ethylene demand using CO 2 R would require half of all electricity produced globally today, and, if powered by solar PV, may have greater CO 2 emissions than current petrochemical ethylene production, negating the purpose of this technology. Using Carbon Capture and Storage and Direct Air Capture to decarbonize petrochemical pathways would require roughly an order of magnitude less energy but would have disproportionate health and climate impacts. Lastly, the analysis highlights the importance of low-carbon energy sources to ensure sustainable CO 2 R ethylene production.

CO2R↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ecological divergence of syntopic marine bacterial species is shaped by gene content and expression

Identifying mechanisms by which bacterial species evolve and maintain genomic diversity is particularly challenging for the uncultured lineages that dominate the surface ocean. A longitudinal analysis of bacterial genes, genomes, and transcripts during a coastal phytoplankton bloom revealed two co-occurring, highly related Rhodobacteraceae species from the deeply branching and uncultured NAC11-7 lineage. These have identical 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequences, yet their genome contents assembled from metagenomes and single cells indicate species-level divergence. Moreover, shifts in relative dominance of the species during dynamic bloom conditions over 7 weeks confirmed the syntopic species’ divergent responses to the same microenvironment at the same time. Genes unique to each species and genes shared but divergent in per-cell inventories of mRNAs accounted for 5% of the species’ pangenome content. These analyses uncover physiological and ecological features that differentiate the species, including capacities for organic carbon utilization, attributes of the cell surface, metal requirements, and vitamin biosynthesis. Such insights into the coexistence of highly related and ecologically similar bacterial species in their shared natural habitat are rare.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Isolated and H 2 -reduced Anderson clusters catalyse low-temperature hydrogenation of CO 2 to methanol

CO 2 hydrogenation, especially to methanol, is crucial to establishing sustainable closed-loop systems for carbon utilization. However, the difficulties of CO 2 activation at low temperatures and the ambiguity of structure–activity correlations are obstacles to reducing the energy consumption of the hydrogenation process. Here we report that molecularly defined Anderson PtMo 6 O 24 clusters, sited within a robust metal–organic framework, are catalytic for low-temperature CO 2 hydrogenation. The performance of the cluster showed no signs of decay in either its activity or methanol selectivity over 3,600 h at 180 °C. It also achieves a per-pass yield exceeding that of state-of-the-art heterogeneous catalysts under similar conditions. Combined in situ spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations demonstrated that CH 3 OH formation is dominated by the reverse water–gas shift and subsequent CO* hydrogenation pathway, while the HCOO* pathway may serve as a supplementary route. The well-defined cluster structure offers an ideal model for elucidating structure–activity correlations and opens exciting avenues for the rational design of high-activity, low-temperature catalysts for CO 2 hydrogenation.

heterogeneous catalysis↗
DOE OSTI2025

Phage resistance mutations in a marine bacterium impact biogeochemically relevant cellular processes

Phage–bacteria interactions shape ecology and biogeochemistry across biomes. Resistance, arising from their evolutionary arms race, is well documented for receptor mutations, but other resistance mechanisms and their ecological implications remain unexplored. Here we isolated, sequenced and characterized 13 phage-resistant mutants of marine Cellulophaga baltica (Flavobacteriia). Mechanistically, mutations in surface proteins provided broad and complete extracellular resistance against multiple phages through decreased adsorption. Intracellular mutations affecting serine, glycine and threonine metabolism produced narrower resistance against a single phage, permitting viral DNA replication, and, in one mutant, were shown to be lipid mediated. Putative ecosystem impacts inferred from in vitro experiments include: (1) altered carbon utilization for all mutants, but especially by surface ones, (2) increased metabolite secretion for one modelled intracellular mutant (including experimentally verified acetate) and (3) increased ‘stickiness’ for all mutants, with surface mutants also sedimenting faster. Our findings highlight new resistance mechanisms and suggest that the phage–host arms race could result in ecosystem-level biogeochemical impacts in marine microorganisms.

Urvoy, Marion [Ohio State University]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Low-cost sensor-based damage localization for large-area monitoring of FRP composites

Abstract In recent years, there has been growing interest in self-sensing structural materials across research and industry sectors. Detecting and locating structural damage typically requires numerous sensors wired to a data acquisition (DAQ) circuit, rendering implementation impractical in real structures. This paper proposes an innovative, cost-effective sensor network for damage detection and localization in fiber-reinforced polymer composites. The innovation encompasses three key elements: (1) utilizing carbon fiber tows within the composite as piezoresistive sensors, eliminating the need for additional foreign sensor devices; (2) introducing a novel sensor layout wherein sensor tow branches with varied resistance values are connected in parallel, reducing the number of connections to the DAQ circuit and cutting manufacturing costs significantly; (3) developing a practical sensor terminal fabrication technique to minimize manufacturing expenses. The proposed design methodology for the branch resistance values is first validated using a demonstration panel. Subsequently, the overall strategy is assessed by conducting impact tests on carbon and glass fiber-reinforced composite specimens. Results validate the sensor’s ability to accurately detect and locate structural damage.

Demo, Luke B. (ORCID:0000000208806522)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Genomic factors shape carbon and nitrogen metabolic niche breadth across Saccharomycotina yeasts

Organisms exhibit extensive variation in ecological niche breadth, from very narrow (specialists) to very broad (generalists). Two general paradigms have been proposed to explain this variation: (i) trade-offs between performance efficiency and breadth and (ii) the joint influence of extrinsic (environmental) and intrinsic (genomic) factors. We assembled genomic, metabolic, and ecological data from nearly all known species of the ancient fungal subphylum Saccharomycotina (1154 yeast strains from 1051 species), grown in 24 different environmental conditions, to examine niche breadth evolution. We found that large differences in the breadth of carbon utilization traits between yeasts stem from intrinsic differences in genes encoding specific metabolic pathways, but we found limited evidence for trade-offs. Furthermore, these comprehensive data argue that intrinsic factors shape niche breadth variation in microbes.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enrichment of root-associated Streptomyces strains in response to drought is driven by diverse functional traits and does not predict beneficial effects on plant growth

The genus Streptomyces has consistently been found enriched in drought-stressed plant root microbiomes, yet the ecological basis and functional variation underlying this enrichment at the strain and isolate level remain unclear. Using two 16S rRNA sequencing methods with different levels of taxonomic resolution, we confirmed drought-associated enrichment (DE) of Streptomyces in field-grown sorghum roots and identified five closely related but distinct amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) belonging to the genus with variable drought enrichment patterns. From a culture collection of sorghum root endophytes, we selected 12 Streptomyces isolates representing these ASVs for phenotypic and genomic characterization. Whole-genome sequencing revealed substantial variation in gene content, even among closely related isolates, and exometabolomic profiling showed distinct metabolic responses to media supplemented with drought- versus well-watered root tissue. Traits linked to drought survival, including osmotic stress tolerance, siderophore production, and carbon utilization, varied widely among isolates and were not phylogenetically conserved. Using a broader panel of 48 Streptomyces, we demonstrate that DE scores, determined through mono-association experiments in gnotobiotic sorghum systems, showed high variability and lacked correlation with plant growth promotion. Pangenome-wide association identified orthogroups involved in osmolyte transport (e.g., proP) and membrane biosynthesis (e.g., fabG) as positively associated with DE, though most associations lacked phylogenetic signal. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Streptomyces DE is not a conserved genus-level trait but is instead strain-specific and functionally heterogeneous. Furthermore, DE in the root microbiome was shown not to predict beneficial effects on plant growth. This work underscores the need to resolve functional traits at the strain level and highlights the complexity of microbe-host-environment interactions under abiotic stress.

Fonseca-Garcia, Citlali↗
DOE OSTI2022

NETL CO2U openLCA LCI Database Version 2.1

The NETL CO2U openLCA LCI Database Version 2 is part of the NETL CO2U LCA Guidance Toolkit for Carbon Utilization funding recipients to meet their LCA requirements. The toolkit includes the following files: NETL CO2U LCA Guidance Document, NETL CO2U openLCA LCI Database, NETL CO2U openLCA Results Contribution Tool, NETL CO2U LCA Documentation Spreadsheet, and NETL CO2U LCA Report Template. The NETL CO2U openLCA LCI Database is an openLCA software files that contains data and an example system for funding recipients using openLCA to complete their LCA requirements.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

NETL CO2U LCA Documentation Spreadsheet

The NETL CO2U LCA Documentation Spreadsheet is part of the NETL CO2U LCA Guidance Toolkit for Carbon Utilization funding recipients to meet their LCA requirements. The toolkit includes the following files: NETL CO2U LCA Guidance Document, NETL CO2U openLCA LCI Database, NETL CO2U openLCA Results Contribution Tool, NETL CO2U LCA Documentation Spreadsheet, and NETL CO2U LCA Report Template. The NETL CO2U LCA Documentation Spreadsheet is available to funding recipients to help meet their LCA data documentation requirements, especially when using a spreadsheet model rather than LCA software to complete the LCA requirements.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

NETL CO2U LCA Guidance Toolkit - Version 2.1

The NETL CO2U LCA Guidance Toolkit is part of the NETL CO2U LCA Guidance Toolkit for Carbon Utilization funding recipients to meet their LCA requirements. The toolkit includes the following files: NETL CO2U LCA Guidance Document, NETL CO2U openLCA LCI Database, NETL CO2U openLCA Results Contribution Tool, NETL CO2U LCA Documentation Spreadsheet, and NETL CO2U LCA Report Template. Note: This zip file may take a few minutes to download.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

TCF Project - Printable low-cost catalyst for Industrial decarbonization (LLNL/MilliporeSigma)

This proposal centers in catalysts for the generation of hydrogen as a renewable energy source and other value- added carbon utilization. The goal of this project is to commercialize an LLNL-developed, low-cost 3D printable graphene oxide/MoS 2 ink tailored for DIW fabrication of a 3D catalyst electrode for hydrogen evolution. LLNL and MS will scale up and field test the catalyst inks for hydrogen evolution, benchmark them against non-3D printed electrodes, and adjust the compositions based on feedback to improve the technology's market potential and customer/user demands.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Final Report for FE0032098: Improving the cost-effectiveness of algal CO2 utilization by synergistic integration with power plant and wastewater treatment operations

The overall goal of this project was to demonstrate an engineering-scale open raceway pond algae cultivation system (approximately 180 m²), including the integration of technologies that utilized carbon dioxide (CO₂) from a coal-fired power plant and wastewater-derived nutrient inputs for cost-effective and environmentally friendly biomass production. The key advantages associated with the innovative algae cultivation system and its integration with wastewater treatment functions, as described herein, had been demonstrated in previous bench- and pilot-scale work by the project team partners. This project combined those approaches to maximize practical benefits and available synergies, resulting in a significant reduction in the net cost of producing algal biomass products. The primary target algal species for the project was Spirulina, which served as a high-protein content ingredient for food and animal feed. Spirulina was selected because it had already been approved by the FDA, was in use as a food ingredient, and commanded prices of up to $30/kg. It had a typical protein content of 50–75%, comparable to other high-protein concentrates, featured high digestibility without requiring pretreatment, and offered a high conversion ratio in animal feed applications. In addition, Spirulina had a relatively high content of the blue pigment phycocyanin, which could be extracted as a high-value co-product prior to using the remaining biomass for nutritional purposes.

Schideman, Lance [University of Illinois]↗
DOE OSTI2022

The survivor strain: isolation and characterization of Phormidium yuhuli AB48, a filamentous phototactic cyanobacterium with biotechnological potential

Despite their recognized potential, current applications of cyanobacteria as microbial cell factories remain in early stages of development. This is partly due to the fact that engineered strains are often difficult to grow at scale. This technical challenge contrasts with the dense and highly productive cyanobacteria populations thriving in many natural environments. It has been proposed that the selection of strains pre-adapted for growth in industrial photobioreactors could enable more productive cultivation outcomes. Here, we described the initial morphological, physiological, and genomic characterization of Phormidium yuhuli AB48 isolated from an industrial photobioreactor environment. P. yuhuli AB48 is a filamentous phototactic cyanobacterium with a growth rate comparable to Synechocystis sp . PCC 6803. The isolate forms dense biofilms under high salinity and alkaline conditions and manifests a similar nutrient profile to Arthrospira platensis ( Spirulina ). We sequenced, assembled, and analyzed the P. yuhuli AB48 genome, the first closed circular isolate reference genome for a member of the Phormidium genus. We then used cultivation experiments in combination with proteomics and metabolomics to investigate growth characteristics and phenotypes related to industrial scale cultivation, including nitrogen and carbon utilization, salinity, and pH acclimation, as well as antibiotic resistance. These analyses provide insight into the biological mechanisms behind the desirable growth properties manifested by P. yuhuli AB48 and position it as a promising microbial cell factory for industrial-scale bioproduction[221, 1631].

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗