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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Heterodoxy in Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass

As the field of fast pyrolysis has matured, it has been accompanied by a kind of orthodoxy in its practice. Among these orthodoxies are the following: (1) oxygen should be excluded from the pyrolysis process; (2) little sugar is produced during pyrolysis; and (3) the major product of pyrolysis is a low-value emulsion in water. Adherence to these tenets is an impediment to the commercial development of fast pyrolysis. Over the past 15 years, research at Iowa State University’s Bioeconomy Institute has challenged these tenets with what might be called heterodoxy in the science and engineering of fast pyrolysis: adding oxygen producing sugars, and fractionating bio-oil into valorized products. This paper reviews these new approaches to pyrolysis and concludes with an outlook for further developing them.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Elucidation of Structure and Physical Properties of Pyrolytic Sugar Oligomers Derived from Cellulose Depolymerization/Dehydration Reactions: A Density Functional Theory Study

Fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic materials is a promising research area to produce renewable fuels and chemicals. Dehydration is known to be among the most important reaction families during cellulose pyrolysis; water is the most important product. Together with water, dehydration reactions also form a range of poorly known oligomer species of varying molecular sizes, often collected as part of bio-oil water-soluble (WS) fraction. In this work, we used electronic structure calculations to evaluate the relative thermodynamic stabilities of several oligomer species resulting from up to three consecutive dehydration events from cellulose depolymerization intermediates. A library of the thermodynamically favored candidate molecular structures was compiled. Results revealed that most of the water molecules are eliminated from the non-reducing end, forming thermodynamically more stable conjugated compounds. This is consistent with results reported by other researchers in literature where dehydration reactions occur preferably at the non-reducing ends of oligomers. The physical-chemical properties of the proposed structures were estimated using quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPRs) and quantitative property-property relationships (QPPRs). The anhydro-sugars derived from cellulose are often blamed for coke formation during bio-oil hydrotreatment. Understanding their chemical structure could help to develop rational strategies to mitigate coke formation. Furthermore, the thermo-physical properties reported (boiling point, melting point, Gibb’s free energy of formation, enthalpy of formation, and solubility parameters among others) are also fundamental to conducting first principle engineering calculations to design and analyze new pyrolysis reactors and bio-oil up-grading units.

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

Enhanced Production of Algae Lipids and Carbohydrates for Fuel and Polyurethane Precursors

This Final Technical Report summarizes the goals, approach, and outcomes of the project “Enhanced Production of Algae Lipids and Carbohydrates for Fuel and Polyurethane Precursors”. The project addressed the challenge of improving microalgae biomass productivity and simultaneously producing valuable polyurethane precursors (PUPs), from both lipids and carbohydrates, that can be converted into renewable biofuels and bio-based polyurethane (PU) products. By integrating advanced genetic engineering, traditional breeding, high-throughput screening, pilot cultivation, and chemical conversion technologies, the team achieved significant advancements in algae biotechnology.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS2020

Biocene 2018

This 'minds-on' workshop will explore emerging cross-discipline tools and techniques for moving Bio-Inspired Design (BID) into “standard practice” in systems engineering and engineering design. Discussion will center on state-of-the-art in BID tools, emerging toolkits for engineering innovation, and industry best practices. The aerospace industry is at a point where components are reaching design maturity and performance improvements are incremental. Aggressive goals for fuel burn reduction and the threat of climate change necessitate a new paradigm. An artificial intelligence (AI) approach that enables revolutionary changes in system architecture, mission analysis and performance metrics is needed. The growing interest and development in the field of machine learning presents an opportunity to speed up by 10 times or more the discovery, analysis and development of aerospace systems using artificial intelligence and natural systems.

Shyam, Vikram↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

From Research to Reality -- Challenges and Opportunities in Complex System Design

The scope and scale of our interconnected society requires that we view the world through a complex system lens, where numerous parts interact, and emergent behaviors are the norm. Understanding complex systems is critical for decision-making and policy development in domains such as ecological systems, financial markets, supply chains, and global transportation systems, where decision-makers need reliable information to predict the impact of decisions that may play out over decades. Traditional approaches to the research that produces this information are often insufficient, where hypotheses are tested in an isolated environment, and where the results may not carry over to the integrated system. There are a multitude of advancements in system engineering, artificial intelligence, and test and evaluation that are emerging to meet the challenge. Approaches such as agile development, model-based system engineering, design of experiments, large language models, and formal ontologies are providing ways to manage complexity and increase our collective ability to make the changes that we want to see in the world. In this talk I will provide a few examples related to the architecture of the National Airspace System (NAS), where we have investigated the use of large language models, basic formal ontology, and applied category theory to help researchers and system engineers be more effective in this complex design space. Bio: Dr. Ian Levitt’s current research focus is on the complex evolution of the National Airspace System. Prior to joining NASA in 2020, he was with the FAA leading international standards and national laboratory development for the agency. Dr. Levitt earned his PhD in mathematics from Rutgers University in 2009. His mission is to promote a healthy and continuous transformation of society through open information and cooperation.

Ian Levitt↗
DOE OSTI2019

Improved Stress Tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by CRISPR-Cas-Mediated Genome Evolution

In bioprocesses, a microorganism with high tolerance to various stresses would be advantageous for efficient bio-based chemical production. Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has long been used in the food industry because of its safety and convenience, and genetically engineered S. cerevisiae strains have been constructed and used for the production of various bio-based chemicals. In this study, we developed a novel genome shuffling method for S. cerevisiae using CRISPR-Cas. By using this, the thermotolerant mutant strain T8-292, which can grow well at 39 °C, was successfully created. The strain also showed higher cell viability in low pH and high ethanol concentration. In addition, the differences in genome structure between mutant and parent strains were suggested by random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR method. Our genome shuffling method could be a promising strategy for improvement of various stress tolerance in S. cerevisiae.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Bioinspired Nanoscale Materials for Biomedical and Energy Applications

The demand of green, affordable and environmentally sustainable materials has encouraged scientists in different fields to draw inspiration from nature in developing materials with unique properties such as miniaturization, hierarchical organization, and adaptability. Together with the exceptional properties of nanomaterials, over the past century, the field of bioinspired nanomaterials has taken huge leaps. While on one hand, the sophistication of hierarchical structures endow biological systems with multifunctionality, the synthetic control on the creation of nanomaterials enables the design of materials with specific functionalities. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the field of bioinspired nanomaterials, which we have broadly categorized into biotemplates and biomimics. We will discuss the application of bioinspired nanomaterials as biotemplates in catalysis, nanomedicine, immunoassays and in energy, drawing attention to novel materials such as protein cages. Further, the applications of bioinspired materials in tissue engineering and biomineralization will also be discussed.

Bio-inspired, nanoscale materials, protein cages, ↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Methodology for Investigating Adaptive Postural Control

Our research on postural control and human-environment interactions provides an appropriate scientific foundation for understanding the skill of mass handling by astronauts in weightless conditions (e.g., extravehicular activity or EVA). We conducted an investigation of such skills in NASA's principal mass-handling simulator, the Precision Air-Bearing Floor, at the Johnson Space Center. We have studied skilled movement-body within a multidisciplinary context that draws on concepts and methods from biological and behavioral sciences (e.g., psychology, kinesiology and neurophysiology) as well as bioengineering. Our multidisciplinary research has led to the development of measures, for manual interactions between individuals and the substantial environment, that plausibly are observable by human sensory systems. We consider these methods to be the most important general contribution of our EVA investigation. We describe our perspective as control theoretic because it draws more on fundamental concepts about control systems in engineering than it does on working constructs from the subdisciplines of biomechanics and motor control in the bio-behavioral sciences. At the same time, we have attempted to identify the theoretical underpinnings of control-systems engineering that are most relevant to control by human beings. We believe that these underpinnings are implicit in the assumptions that cut across diverse methods in control-systems engineering, especially the various methods associated with "nonlinear control", "fuzzy control," and "adaptive control" in engineering. Our methods are based on these theoretical foundations rather than on the mathematical formalisms that are associated with particular methods in control-systems engineering. The most important aspects of the human-environment interaction in our investigation of mass handling are the functional consequences that body configuration and stability have for the pick up of information or the achievement of overt goals. It follows that an essential characteristic of postural behavior is the effective maintenance of the orientation and stability of the sensory and motor "platforms" (e.g., head or shoulders) over variations in the human, the environment and the task. This general skill suggests that individuals should be sensitive to the functional consequences of body configuration and stability. In other words, individuals should perceive the relation between configuration, stability, and performance so that they can adaptively control their interaction with the surroundings. Human-environment interactions constitute robust systems in that individuals can maintain the stability of such interactions over uncertainty about and variations in the dynamics of the interaction. Robust interactions allow individuals to adopt orientations and configurations that are not optimal with respect to purely energetic criteria. Individuals can tolerate variation in postural states, and such variation can serve an important function in adaptive systems. Postural variability generates stimulation which is "textured" by the dynamics of the human-environment system. The texture or structure in stimulation provides information about variation in dynamics, and such information can be sufficient to guide adaption in control strategies. Our method were designed to measure informative patterns of movement variability.

McDonald, P. V.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evaluating Class 6 Delivery Truck Fuel Economy and Emissions Using Vehicle System Simulations for Conventional and Hybrid Powertrains and Co-Optima Fuel Blends

The US Department of Energy’s Co-Optimization of Engine and Fuels Initiative (Co-Optima) investigated how unique properties of bio-blendstocks considered within Co-Optima help address emissions challenges with mixing controlled compression ignition (i.e., conventional diesel combustion) and enable advanced compression ignition modes suitable for implementation in a diesel engine. Additionally, the potential synergies of these Co-Optima technologies in hybrid vehicle applications in the medium- and heavy-duty sector was also investigated. In this work, vehicles system were simulated using the Autonomie software tool for quantifying the benefits of Co-Optima engine technologies for medium-duty trucks. A Class 6 delivery truck with a 6.7 L diesel engine was used for simulations over representative real-world and certification drive cycles with four different powertrains to investigate fuel economy, criteria emissions, and performance. Comparisons were made between ultralow-sulfur diesel and a blend of 25% hexyl hexanoate with diesel. Model validation data were informed by 2019 model year Cummins ISB 6.7 L diesel engine maps and transient validation data in a pre-production hybrid configuration and a direct dyno coupled configuration with diesel fuel and a blend of 25% hexyl hexanoate with diesel.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electrochemical Sensors and Biosensors Based on Nanomaterials and Nanostructures

Taking advantages of exceptional attributes, such as easy-to-operate, economical, sensitive, portable, and simple-to- construct, considerable attention has been devoted to the integration of recognition elements with electronic elements to develop electrochemical sensors and biosensors. Recent decades tremendous amounts of attention have been witnessed in this active area. Various electrochemical devices such as amperometric sensors, electrochemical impedance sensors, electrochemical luminescence sensors as well as photoelectrochemical sensors, provide wide applications of detecting chemical and biological targets in terms of electrochemical change of electrode interfaces. With remarkable achievements in nanotechnology and nanoscience, nanomaterial-based electrochemical signal amplifications have great potential of improving both in sensitivity and selectivity for electrochemical sensors and biosensors. First of all, it is well known that the electrode materials play a critical role in the construction of high-performance electrochemical sensing platforms for detecting target molecules through various analytical principles. Furthermore, in addition to electrode materials, functional nanomaterials can not only produce a synergic effect among catalytic activity, conductivity and biocompatibility to accelerate the signal transduction, but also amplify biorecognition events by specifically designed signal tags, leading to highly sensitive biosensing. Sig-nificantly, extensive research on construction of functional electrode materials, coupled with numerous electrochemical methods, is advancing wide applications of electrochemical devices. For example, Walcarius et al. highlighted the recent advances of nano-objects, nano-engineered and/or nanostructured materials for the rational design of bio-functionalized electrodes and related (bio)sensing systems.1 The attractiveness of such nanomaterials relies on their ability to act as effective immobilization matrices, and their intrinsic and unique features as described above. These features combined with the functioning of biomolecules contribute to the improvement of bioelectrode performance in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Our group recently presented a general overview of nanomaterial-enhanced paper-based biosensors including lateral-flow test-strip, and paper microfluidic devices.2With different kinds of nanoparticles (NPs), paper-based biosensor devices have shown great potential in the enhancement of sensitivity and specificity of disease diagnosis in developing countries. This review focuses on recent advances in electrochemical sensors and biosensors based on nanomaterials and nanostructures during 2013 to 2014. The aim of this effort is to provide the reader with a clear and concise view of new advances in areas ranging from electrode engineering, strategies for electrochemical signal amplification, and novel electroanalytical techniques used to the miniaturization and integration of the sensors. Moreover, the authors have attempted to highlight areas of latest and significant development of enhanced elec-trochemical nanosensors and nanobiosensors that inspire broader interests across various disciplines. Electrochemical sensors for small molecules, enzyme-based biosensors, genosensors, immunosensors and cytosensors are reviewed herein (Figure 1). Such novel advances are important for the development of electrochemical sensors as that open up new avenues and methods for future research. Readers interested in the general principles of electrochemical sensors and electrochemical methods are recommended to refer to other excellent literature for a broad scope on this area.3-4 However, due to the explosion of publications in this active field, we do not claim that this review includes all of the published works in the past two years. Due to the large activity in this field we apologize to the authors of excellent work, which is unintentionally left out.

Zhu, Chengzhou↗
DOE OSTI2018

DOE BES: Directed Assembly of Bio-inspired Supramolecular Materials for Energy Transport and Capture: Mesoscale Construction of Functional Materials in Hydrodynamic Flows. Final Project Report

The precise engineering of mesoscale structures based on molecular building blocks holds enormous promise to catalyze the development of new functional materials for advanced energy technologies. Bio-inspired and synthetic/bio-hybrid systems can play a key role in this effort due to their inherent programmable function and high degrees of sequence control. Despite recent progress, the ability to precisely control the supramolecular assembly of bio-hybrid molecules remains a central problem in the field. Our research aims to fundamentally understand the assembly mechanism of bio-hybrid materials, specifically focusing on sequence-controlled synthetic pi-conjugated oligopeptides. Moreover, we aim to develop new methods for the directed assembly of materials based on tailored fluid flows to guide the emergent structural, optical, and electronic properties of synthetic pi-conjugated peptides. Overall, our team has made substantial progress on this project through four major Thrusts: (1) Understanding the role of kinetics on the assembly process of synthetic π-conjugated peptides. (2) Probing the role of chemistry on the structural properties of these materials. (3) Real-time in situ investigation of the sol-gel transition and assembly of π-conjugated peptides. (4) Achieving large-area macroscopic alignment and assembly of these materials. In the following report, we explain major research progress in each of these research Thrusts.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Lignin Valorization: Two Hybrid Biochemical Routes for the Conversion of Polymeric Lignin into Value-added Chemicals

Naturally, many aerobic organisms degrade lignin-derived aromatics through conserved intermediates including protocatechuate and catechol. Employing this microbial approach offers a potential solution for valorizing lignin into valuable chemicals for a potential lignocellulosic biorefinery and enabling bioeconomy. In this study, two hybrid biochemical routes combining lignin chemical depolymerization, plant metabolic engineering, and synthetic pathway reconstruction were demonstrated for valorizing lignin into value-added products. In the biochemical route 1, alkali lignin was chemically depolymerized into vanillin and syringate as major products, which were further bio-converted into cis, cis-muconic acid (ccMA) and pyrogallol, respectively, using engineered Escherichia coli strains. In the second biochemical route, the shikimate pathway of Tobacco plant was engineered to accumulate protocatechuate (PCA) as a soluble intermediate compound. The PCA extracted from the engineered Tobacco was further converted into ccMA using the engineered E. coli strain. This study reports a direct process for converting lignin into ccMA and pyrogallol as value-added chemicals, and more importantly demonstrates benign methods for valorization of polymeric lignin that is inherently heterogeneous and recalcitrant. Our approach also validates the promising combination of plant engineering with microbial chassis development for the production of value added and speciality chemicals.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
NASA NTRS2004

Cooperative Lander-Surface/Aerial Microflyer Missions for Mars Exploration

Concepts are being investigated for exploratory missions to Mars based on Bioinspired Engineering of Exploration Systems (BEES), which is a guiding principle of this effort to develop biomorphic explorers. The novelty lies in the use of a robust telecom architecture for mission data return, utilizing multiple local relays (including the lander itself as a local relay and the explorers in the dual role of a local relay) to enable ranges ~10 to 1,000 km and downlink of color imagery. As illustrated in Figure 1, multiple microflyers that can be both surface or aerially launched are envisioned in shepherding, metamorphic, and imaging roles. These microflyers imbibe key bio-inspired principles in their flight control, navigation, and visual search operations. Honey-bee inspired algorithms utilizing visual cues to perform autonomous navigation operations such as terrain following will be utilized. The instrument suite will consist of a panoramic imager and polarization imager specifically optimized to detect ice and water. For microflyers, particularly at small sizes, bio-inspired solutions appear to offer better alternate solutions than conventional engineered approaches. This investigation addresses a wide range of interrelated issues, including desired scientific data, sizes, rates, and communication ranges that can be accomplished in alternative mission scenarios. The mission illustrated in Figure 1 offers the most robust telecom architecture and the longest range for exploration with two landers being available as main local relays in addition to an ephemeral aerial probe local relay. The shepherding or metamorphic plane are in their dual role as local relays and image data collection/storage nodes. Appropriate placement of the landing site for the scout lander with respect to the main mission lander can allow coverage of extremely large ranges and enable exhaustive survey of the area of interest. In particular, this mission could help with the path planning and risk mitigation in the traverse of the long-distance surface explorer/rover. The basic requirements of design and operation of BEES to implement the scenarios are discussed. Terrestrial applications of such concepts include distributed aerial/surface measurements of meteorological events, i.e., storm watch, seismic monitoring, reconnaissance, biological chemical sensing, search and rescue, surveillance, autonomous security/ protection agents, and/or delivery and lateral distribution of agents (sensors, surface/subsurface crawlers, clean-up agents). Figure 2 illustrates an Earth demonstration that is in development, and its implementation will illustrate the value of these biomorphic mission concepts.

Thakoor, Sarita↗
DOE OSTI2025

Building an expanded bio-based economy through synthetic biology

The field of synthetic biology is essential to the continued development of a bio-based economy, creating mechanisms to supply carbon needed in the economy by both converting existing end-of-life wastes as well as by creating novel, purpose-grown and sustainable feedstocks. Here, we first discuss the near- and long-term resources available for use as feedstocks for bioconversion as well as the output molecules needed for building the foundation of an expanded bio-based economy. We then outline the organisms and phenotypic traits that are needed for the performance-advantaged chassis organisms of the future. Furthermore, we detail the advances, challenges, and opportunities in both microbial and plant synthetic biology relevant to expanding the bio-based economy. Finally, we explore technologies that have and will further enable advances in synthetic biology and the greater bio-based economy.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Tailored Bioblendstocks With Low Environmental Impact To Optimize MCCI Engines

This project seeks to overcome impediments to expansion of algae cultivation and conversion into fuels to displace petroleum and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The overall objective of the project is to develop and demonstrate a microalgae bio-blendstock with greater than 60% greenhouse gas reduction relative to petroleum diesel, reduce sooting propensity, increase cetane number, improve engine thermal efficiency relative to a baseline diesel engine operating on conventional fuel. These objectives are being accomplished by: Applying cultivation of algae polycultures to achieve robustness and productivity, Converting whole algae to bio-hydrocarbons via Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) to make a biocrude and up-grading the biocrude via hydroprocessing to obtain tailored bioblendstocks for diesel fuel, Optimizing diesel (MCCI) combustion through blending model compounds into diesel fuel to represent the tailored bioblendstocks through experiments and numerical simulation.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electrical bending actuation of gold-films with nanotextured surfaces

An actuating material system comprising a gold-film with nanotextured surface was fabricated. Using electroless gold plating onto a substrate of porous anodized aluminum oxide, a thin film of gold with a high density of short gold nanofibers on its surface was made. When one end of such a film was connected to an ion generator, bending was achieved upon electrical charging in air. Experiments showed that the free end of an 8 mm film could be displaced by more than 1.6 mm with a bending strain of 0.08%. In contrast with other types of thin-film artificial muscle materials, the present Au-film did not require any electrolyte to function. With the relatively easy fabrication method, this nanotextured film shows promising actuation behavior in air. Actuation systems based on a number of mechanisms have been developed in the last few decades, including electric, ionic, photonic, pneumatic, and thermal. As discussed in detail in Madden et al. and Brochu and Pei,11 the weaknesses of these materials include bulkiness, low stress or strain generation, low strain rate, long response time, short cycle life, and low energy efficiency. Recent developments have involved the possibilities to use the unique properties of nanostructures to produce actuation, such as in nanostructured carbon, nanoporous gold or platinum, V 2 O 5 nanofibre sheet, electroactive nanostructured polymers, hybrid carbon nanotube yarn, niobium nanowire yarn, and anodized aluminum oxide (AAO). Here, we introduce a nanostructured material system comprising a gold film with a high density of short gold-nanofibers attached to one side, which can bend to produce a large displacement (~1.6 mm) upon electrical charging through an ion generator. In addition to the displacement, the functionality without the need of an electrolyte is another advantage for using this material system as actuators. We discuss the fabrication and characterization methods, the morphology, and the actuating properties of this system here. To achieve a metal film with a nanotextured surface, electroless gold-plating was performed on substrates of AAO with a characteristic nano-honeycomb structure consisting of >10 10 pores per cm 2 . The fabrication of the AAO substrates followed the procedures described in Cheng and Ngan. The anodization condition for the AAO was 40 V against graphite electrode in saturated oxalic acid at 18 °C for 2 h. The pore diameter observed was 50 ± 5 nm. By using an electroless gold-plating method described by Kohli et al.,22 gold in short nanofiber form was deposited into the pores of the AAO template. As shown in Figs. 1(a) and 1(b), in addition to partially filling the pores with gold, the top surface of the AAO template was coated with a thin gold film (~100 nm) of Au. A ~30 μm layer of lacquer was then painted on the top of the thin gold film to serve as a supporting layer.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Phosphoketolase pathway engineering for carbon-efficient biocatalysis

Recent advances in metabolic engineering have facilitated the development of microbial biocatalysts capable of producing an array of bio-products, ranging from fuels to drug molecules. These bio-products are commonly generated through an acetyl-CoA intermediate, which serves as a key precursor in the biological conversion of carbon substrates. Moreover, conventional biocatalytic upgrading strategies proceeding through this route are limited by low carbon efficiencies, in large part due to carbon losses associated with pyruvate decarboxylation to acetyl-CoA. Bypass of pyruvate decarboxylation offers a means to dramatically enhance carbon yields and, in turn, bioprocess economics. Here, we discuss recent advances and prospects for employing the phosphoketolase pathway for direct biosynthesis of acetyl-CoA from carbon substrates, and phosphoketolase-based metabolic engineering strategies for carbon efficient biocatalysis.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗