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At least 163 records · Page 9

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NASA NTRS1985

Catalytic distillation water recovery subsystem

An integrated engineering breadboard subsystem for the recovery of potable water from untreated urine based on the vapor phase catalytic ammonia removal was designed, fabricated and tested. Unlike other evaporative methods, this process catalytically oxidizes ammonia and volatile hydrocarbons vaporizing with water to innocuous products; therefore, no pretreatment of urine is required. Since the subsystem is fabricated from commercially available components, its volume, weight and power requirements are not optimized; however, it is suitable for zero-g operation. The testing program consists of parametric tests, one month of daily tests and a continuous test of 168 hours duration. The recovered water is clear, odorless, low in ammonia and organic carbon, and requires only an adjustment of its pH to meet potable water standards. The obtained data indicate that the vapor phase catalytic ammonia removal process, if further developed, would also be competitive with other water recovery systems in weight, volume and power requirements.

Budininkas, P.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Formation of thin sulfide rinds on the CM parent body

Many of the textures that are observed in CM chondrites have been alternately assigned nebular, parent-body, or combined nebular-parent body origins. Since it is very difficult to substantiate the production of complex textures in the nebula, an alternate approach to this problem is to rigorously determine which of the observable textures could have been produced by reasonable aqueous alteration processes on the CM parent body. Potential parent body reactions involving S deserve special attention because S-bearing phase define many important CM textures, such as rims. We have examined the possibility that the thin (about 5 microns) rinds of sulfides observed around some partially dissolved olivines within the chondrules and matrixes of CM chondrites were formed by the preferential precipitation of sulfides at or near dissolving olivine boundaries during parent-body alteration. Our model defines two infinite and parallel planes of olivine that are separated by pure water. Average separation distances between olivine grains in CM chondrites at the time of accretion (about 100-200 microns) were estimated by assuming a closed system fluid/rock ratio of 45% and varying the bimodal grain-size distribution. We restrict our calculations to the case of an isochemical system with sufficient bisulfide in solution to account for precipitation of pyrrhotite at STP. Our model examines the possibility that dissolving olivines with compositions between Fo(sub 0.9) and Fo(sub 0.4) can produce a strong gradient of Fe(2+) at pHs from 7 to 12 such that the precipitation of pyrrhotite will be initiated at the olivine-fluid boundary. Since CM phase equilibria is consistent with highly reducing conditions, Fe released by olivines would largely remain in solution as Fe(2+) until the solubility product of a Fe(2+) bearing phase was exceeded. Our calculations indicate that all examined combinations of olivine composition and pH yield a strong Fe(2+) gradient at the time the pyrrhotite solubility is exceeded near the olivine-fluid boundary. This favors the initiation of sulfide precipitation around dissolving olivines. However, sulfide rinds are not observed around all partially dissolved olivine grains in CM chondrites, which suggests that the availability of aqueous sulfide species limits the production of the thin sulfide rinds.

Browning, L. B.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Effects of γ-Irradiation, Cation Size, and Salt Concentration on the Aggregation of Boehmite Nanoplatelets

The effects of radiation on the aggregation of nanoplatelets of aluminum oxyhydroxide (boehmite) in slurries of M 1+ cation nitrates has been observed using tumbler small- and ultra-small-angle neutron scattering. Nitrate solutions of H, Li, Na, K, and Rb at concentrations of 10 -5 , 10 -3 , 10 -1 , 2, and 4 molal were compared to the results for pure H 2 O. Primary aggregates consisting of small stacks of boehmite platelets that form immediately after the boehmite is placed in water are smaller for irradiated boehmite than the pristine material. Here, the primary aggregates for irradiated boehmite also appear to have a rougher surface than those observed for unirradiated materials. Both results are possibly due to breaking of the surface OH species and a neutralization of the surface. At low salt concentrations, the pH of the irradiated boehmite slurries is lower than that of the corresponding pristine material indicating that irradiated boehmite adsorbs fewer protons or more hydroxide onto its surface than the pristine boehmite. Increasing the salt concentration decreases the pH to near neutral at 7 due to screening of the electric double layer at the solid/liquid interface. Irradiation does not seem to affect the size of secondary aggregates formed from the aggregation of primary aggregates or of the overall size of the primary aggregates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2020

Fate of arsenic during up to 4.5 years of aging of Fe III -As V coprecipitates at acidic pH: Effect of reaction media (Nitrate vs. Sulfate), Fe/As molar ratio, and pH

Iron-arsenate (Fe III -As V ) coprecipitate generated in acid mine drainage and hydrometallurgical practices is one of the potential sources of As contamination in the environment. However, the As behavior as well as the transformation process of the Fe III -As V coprecipitate is still not fully understood under acidic conditions. This work systematically studied the effect of reaction media (sulfate vs. nitrate), Fe/As molar ratios, and acidic pH values on the transformation rates, routes, and products of the Fe III -As V coprecipitates at different temperatures during up to 4.5 years of aging. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) results showed that the Fe III -As V coprecipitates with Fe/As = 2 transformed to scorodite at pH 4 in both sulfate and nitrate media with poorly crystalline ferric arsenate as precursor. In comparison, for the Fe/As = 4 samples, parascorodite and hematite were formed in sulfate and nitrate media, respectively. We note arsenic was released into the liquid phase during the aging process for the samples with Fe/As = 2 and 4. The aqueous As concentrations ([As] aq ) in sulfate media were larger than those in nitrate media for both the Fe/As = 2 and 4 samples. In addition, the transformation products were goethite and Na-jarosite at Fe/As = 8 and 16, pH 2.5 with the decrease of [As] aq . The results also indicated that 6-line ferrihydrite was a common intermediate for many Fe-As transformation processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS2009

Smart Coating for Corrosion Indication and Prevention: Recent Progress

The authors are developing a smart coating system based on pH-triggered release microcapsules. These microcapsules can be incorporated into various coating systems for corrosion detection, protection and self-repair of mechanical coating damage. This paper will present the results from progress made to date in the controlled release properties of these microcapsules as well as in their corrosion indication and corrosion inhibition function.

Li, Wenyan↗

DOE OSTI2025

Spectrophotometric determination of the stability of La hydroxyl complexes at near neutral to alkaline pH from 25 to 75 °C

The hydrolysis of rare earth elements (REE) potentially controls their mobility during fluid-rock interaction in a broad range of pH and temperature conditions. However, there is still a lack of thermodynamic data for modeling accurately the stability of REE hydroxyl complexes in hydrothermal aqueous fluids. Here, in this study, UV–Vis spectrophotometric experiments were conducted from 25 to 75 °C in near-neutral to alkaline NaOH-bearing aqueous solutions with varying lanthanum (La) concentrations (0 to ∼0.23 mmol/kg). The color indicator m-cresol purple was used to determine in situ pH and derive the average OH− ligand number ($\overrightarrow{n}$) and formation constants for the La hydroxyl complexes (LaOH 2+ , La(OH) 2 + , and La(OH) 3 0 ). From 25 to 50 °C, $\overrightarrow{n}$ ranges between ∼1 and 2 at pH from 7.0 to 9.3. At 75 °C, $\overrightarrow{n}$ ranges between ∼1.5 and 3 at pH from 6.3 to 8.8. These results suggest the predominance of LaOH 2+ and La(OH) 2 + complexes from 25 to 50 °C, and an increased predominance of La(OH) 3 0 at 75 °C. The cumulative formation constants (β n °, n = 1 to 3) are derived for the reaction La 3+ + nOH − = La(OH) n 3-n , and fitted between 25 and 250 °C by combining the UV–Vis and literature solubility data. The resulting logβ n ° are expressed as function of temperature (T in Kelvin): logβ 1 ° = −1.786 + 0.0133 T + 1.049·10 3 /T; logβ 2 ° = −5.797 + 0.0267 T + 2.713·10 3 /T; logβ 3 ° = 6.435 + 0.0223 T + 512.7/T. A comparison between these new fits and existing extrapolations using the Helgeson-Kirkham-Flowers equation of state indicates significant differences in the predicted hydrolysis of La. The latter extrapolations should therefore be updated for the hydrolysis of REE.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS2004

Evidence for Differential Comminution/Aeolian Sorting and Chemical Weathering of Martian Soils Preserved in Mars Meteorite EET79001

Impact-melt glasses containing Martian atmospheric gases in Mars meteorite EET79001 are formed from Martian soil fines that had undergone meteoroid-comminution and aeolian sorting accompanied by chemical weathering near Mars surface. Using SiO2 and SO3 as proxy for silicates and salts respectively in Mars soils, we find that SiO2 and SO3 correlate negatively with FeO and MgO and positively with Al2O3 and CaO in these glasses, indicating that the mafic and felsic components are depleted and enriched relative to the bulk host (Lith A/B) respectively as in the case of Moon soils. Though the overall pattern of mineral fractionation is similar between the soil fines on Mars and Moon, the magnitudes of the enrichments/depletions differ between these sample-suites because of pervasive aeolian activity on Mars. In addition to this mechanical processing, the Martian soil fines, prior to impact-melting, have undergone acid-sulfate dissolution under oxidizing/reducing conditions. The S03 content in EET79001,507 (Lith B) glass is approx.18% compared to < 2% in EET79001, 506 (Lith A). SiO2 and SO3 negatively correlate with each other in ,507 glasses similar to Pathfinder soils. The positive correlation found between FeO and SO3 in ,507 glasses as well as Pathfinder rocks and soils is consistent with the deposition of ferric-hydroxysulfate on regolith grains in an oxidizing environment. As in the case of Pathfinder soils, the Al 2O3 vs SiO2 positive correlation and FeO VS S102 negative correlation observed in ,507 glasses indicate that SiO2 from the regolith is mobilized as soluble silicic acid at low pH. The large off-set in the end-member FeO abundance ( SO3=0) between Pathfinder soil-free rock and sulfur-free rock in ,507 glass precursors suggests that the soils comprising the ,507 glasses contain much larger proportion of fine-grained Martian soil fraction that registers strong mafic depletion relative to Lith B. This inference is strongly supported by the Al2O3 - SO3 negative correlation observed in both ,507 glasses and pathfinder soils. Furthermore, the flat MgO-SO3 correlation observed in the case of ,507 glasses shows that the solubilized MgSO4 is mobilized by the aqueous solutions leaving behind the rock-residue with approx.2-3% MgO. This value is similar to the approx.2% MgO found for the soil-free rock at the Pathfinder site. The EET79001 ,506 glasses, in contrast, show that Al2O3 and CaO positively correlate with SO3 indicating that Al is precipitated as amorphous hydroxysulfate at relatively high pH. The FeO - SO3 negative correlation observed in ,506 glasses yields an end-member FeO abundance of approx.21% for the sulfur-free rock, which is consistent with the 22% FeO deduced for the Viking soil-free rock. Further, the FeO and MgO negative correlation with S03 observed in ,506 glasses indicates that the divalent Fe and Mg released from ferromagnesian minerals by acid sulfate dissolution are mobilized away from the reaction sites as soluble sulfates under reducing environment. A similar negative correlation between FeO and SO3 and a positive correlation between Al2O3 and SO3 found in Viking soils suggest that they also had undergone acid-sulfate dissolution under relatively reducing conditions.

Rao, M. N.↗

DOE OSTI2025

The role of soil chemical properties and microbial communities on Dendrocalamus brandisii bamboo shoot quality, Yunnan Province, China

Objective To explore the effects of soil nutrients and microbial communities on the quality of Dendrocalamus brandisii shoots in different regions, providing a scientific basis for their development and utilization. Methods Using seven different geographic sources of D. brandisii from Yunnan Province as research subjects, this study employs chemical analysis and high-throughput sequencing to reveal the relationship between soil nutrients, microbial functional groups, and the nutritional quality of bamboo shoots. Results The results indicate that there are significant differences in soil nutrient content among the regions ( p < 0.05), with bamboo shoots from Baoshan Changning (CN) exhibiting the best overall nutritional quality. The key factors influencing bacterial community changes include pH, available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK). In contrast, the main factors affecting fungal community changes are pH, soil organic matter (SOM), available potassium (AK), and total nitrogen (TN). This version maintains clarity and logical flow, making it easier for readers to understand the different factors influencing bacterial and fungal community changes. The diversity indices of soil microbial communities among different sources of Dendrocalamus brandisii show significant differences ( p < 0.05). The dominant groups in the seven regions include Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, Actinobacteriota, Chloroflexi, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota. The soil microbial community in Baoshan Changning (CN) shows significant structural differences compared to the other six regions, with the highest relative abundances of Chloroflexi and Acidobacteriota. In contrast, the highest relative abundance of Proteobacteria is found in Honghe Shiping (SP), while Actinobacteriota has the highest relative abundance in Yuxi Xinping (XP). RDA analysis indicates that soil nutrients (SOM, pH, AP, TN) affect the water content, soluble sugar, and crude fat of bamboo shoots. Additionally, the bacterial communities including Actinobacteriota, Chloroflexi, Patescibacteria, GAL15, and Cyanobacteria influence the water content, soluble sugar, ash content, protein, and lignin of bamboo shoots. Discussion In the fungal community, Basidiomycota, Kickxellomycota, Mucoromycota, unclassified-k-Fungi, and Glomeromycota affect the water content and tannin levels in bamboo shoots. In summary, soil nutrients and soil microorganisms are interconnected and work together to influence the quality of bamboo shoots.

Chen, Qian↗

NASA NTRS1978

An improved method for analysis of hydroxide and carbonate in alkaline electrolytes containing zinc

A simplified method for titration of carbonate and hydroxide in alkaline battery electrolyte is presented involving a saturated KSCN solution as a complexing agent for zinc. Both hydroxide and carbonate can be determined in one titration, and the complexing reagent is readily prepared. Since the pH at the end point is shifted from 8.3 to 7.9 - 8.0, m-cresol purple or phenol red are used as indicators rather than phenolphthalein. Bromcresol green is recommended for determination of the second end point of a pH of 4.3 to 4.4.

Reid, M. A.↗

NASA NTRS1978

An improved method for analysis of hydroxide and carbonate in alkaline electrolytes containing zinc

A simplified method for titration of carbonate and hydroxide in alkaline battery electrolyte is presented involving a saturated KSCN solution as a complexing agent for zinc. Both hydroxide and carbonate can be determined in one titration, and the complexing reagent is readily prepared. Since the pH at the end point is shifted from 8.3 to 7.9-8.0, m-cresol purple or phenol red are used as indicators rather than phenolphthalein. Bromcresol green is recommended for determination of the second end point of a pH of 4.3 to 4.4.

Reid, M. A.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Reverse Micelle Based Synthesis of Microporous Materials in Microgravity

Formation of zincophosphates from zinc and phosphate containing reverse micelles (water droplets in hexane) has been examined. The frameworks formed resemble that made by conventional hydrothermal synthesis. Dynamics of crystal growth are however quite different, and form the main focus of this study. In particular, the formation of zincophosphate with the sodalite framework was examined in detail. The intramicellar pH was found to have a strong influence on crystal growth. Crystals with a cubic morphology were formed directly from the micelles, without an apparent intermediate amorphous phase over a period of four days by a layer-bylayer growth at the intramicellar pH of 7.6. At a pH of 6.8, an amorphous precipitate rapidly sediments in hours. Sodalite was eventually formed from this settled phase via surface diffusion and reconstruction within four days. With a rotating cell, it was possible to minimize sedimentation and crystals were found to grow epitaxially from the spherical, amorphous particles. Intermediate pH's of 7.2 led to formation of aggregated sodalite crystals prior to settling, again without any indication of an intermediate amorphous phase. These diverse pathways were possible due to changes in intramicellar supersaturation conditions by minor changes in pH. In contrast, conventional syntheses in this pH range all proceeded by similar crystallization pathways through an amorphous gel. This study establishes that synthesis of microporous frameworks is not only possible in reverse micellar systems, but they also allow examination of possible crystallization pathways.

Dutta, Prabir K.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Exploring pH Dynamics in Amino Acid Solutions Under Low-Temperature Plasma Exposure

Low-temperature plasma (LTP) offers a promising alternative for cancer therapy, as it targets malignant cells selectively while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. Upon interaction with an aqueous solution, LTP generates reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and thereby influences the solution’s pH, which is a crucial factor in cancer proliferation and response to treatment. This study investigated the effects of LTP on the pH of aqueous solutions, with a focus on the effect of LTP parameters such as voltage, frequency, and irradiation time. In addition, it explored the influence of solution composition, specifically the presence of the amino acids, glycine and serine, on pH changes; these amino acids are known to play significant roles in cancer proliferation. Our results indicated that LTP induces acidification in deionized water, in which the extent of acidification increased proportionally with plasma parameters. In glycine-containing solutions, pH changes were concentration-dependent, whereas serine-containing solutions maintained a constant pH across all tested concentrations. To investigate potential changes to the structural properties of glycine and serine exposed to LTP that could be responsible for different pH responses, we analyzed the samples using FTIR spectroscopy. A significant decrease in absorbance was observed for solutions with low concentrations of amino acids, suggesting their degradation.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology↗

DOE OSTI2021

A time-dependent chloride diffusion model for predicting initial corrosion time of reinforced concrete with slag addition

The effect of granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) addition on the threshold chloride concentration (TCC) for rebar corrosion was investigated. A modified diffusion model, coupled with a time-dependent effective diffusion coefficient and surface chloride concentration, was proposed to predict the chloride profile. The corrosion initiation time was estimated based on the model predictions and the measured TCC. The results indicate that adding GBFS decreases the TCC by lowering the pH value of the pore solution. The evolution of corrosion potential and current density is found to obey a 3-parameter Weibull distribution. MIP tests show that adding GBFS contributes to refinement of pore structure by decreasing the fraction of large capillary pores. The time-dependent model exhibits good predictive strength and helps understand how GBFS addition delays the corrosion initiation by retarding the chloride diffusion, though a lower TCC is obtained.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

On Aerosol Liquid Water and Sulfate Associations: The Potential for Fine Particulate Matter Biases

In humid locations of the Eastern U.S., sulfate is a surrogate for aerosol liquid water (ALW), a poorly measured particle constituent. Regional and seasonal variation in ALW–sulfate relationships offers a potential explanation to reconcile epidemiology and toxicology studies regarding particulate sulfur and health endpoints. ALW facilitates transfer of polar species from the gas phase to the particle phase and affects particle pH and metal oxidation state. Though abundant and a potential indicator of adverse health endpoints, ALW is largely removed in most particulate matter measurement techniques, including in routine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) networks that use federal reference method (FRM) monitors, which are used in epidemiology studies. We find that in 2004, a typical year in the available record, ambient ALW mass is removed during sampling and filter equilibration to standard laboratory conditions at most (94%) sites, up to 85% of the ambient water mass. The removal of ALW can induce the evaporation of other semi-volatile compounds present in PM 2.5 , such as ammonium nitrate and numerous organics. This produces an artifact in the PM mass measurements that is, importantly, not uniform in space or time. This suggests that PM 2.5 epidemiology studies that exclude ALW are biased. This work provides a plausible explanation to resolve multi-decade discrepancies regarding ambient sulfate and health impacts in some epidemiological and toxicological studies

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2015

Microencapsulation Technologies for Corrosion Protective Coating Applications

Microencapsulation technologies for functional smart Coatings for autonomous corrosion control have been a research area of strong emphasis during the last decade. This work concerns the development of pH sensitive micro-containers (microparticles and microcapsules) for autonomous corrosion control. This paper presents an overview of the state-of-the-art in the field of microencapsulation for corrosion control applications, as well as the technical details of the pH sensitive microcontainer approach, such as selection criteria for corrosion indicators and corrosion inhibitors; the development and optimization of encapsulation methods; function evaluation before and after incorporation of the microcontainers into coatings; and further optimization to improve coating compatibility and performance.

Microencapsulation↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Water Analysis of the Heat Melt Compactor

The Heat Melt Compactor (HMC) recovers water from trash at low temperatures and under vacuum conditions to obtain relatively cleaner water with less contaminants. The effluent water vapor is condensed and collected for analysis. The objectives of the analysis are to identify chemical components in the water sample, evaluate water quality, and assess the compatibility of the liquid effluent with the International Space Station (ISS) water systems. The evaluation of water quality includes total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations which provide a general indication of overall water quality, other defining characteristics such as pH and conductivity, and comparison with previous ISS water analytical data as a baseline for the evaluation.

trash↗

NASA NTRS2015

Recent Developments on Autonomous Corrosion Protection Through Encapsulation

This paper concerns recent progress in the development of a multifunctional smart coating, based on microencapsulation, for the autonomous detection and control of corrosion. Microencapsulation has been validated and optimized to incorporate desired corrosion control functionalities, such as early corrosion detection and inhibition, through corrosion-initiated release of corrosion indicators and inhibitors, as well as self-healing agent release triggered by mechanical damage. While proof-of-concept results have been previously reported, more recent research and development efforts have concentrated on improving coating compatibility and synthesis procedure scalability, with a targeted goal of obtaining easily dispersible pigment-grade type microencapsulated materials. The recent progress has resulted in the development of pH-sensitive microparticles as a corrosion-triggered delivery system for corrosion indicators and inhibitors. The synthesis and early corrosion indication results obtained with coating formulations that incorporate these microparticles are reported. The early corrosion indicating results were obtained with color changing and with fluorescent indicators.

Autonomous↗

NASA NTRS2016

Active Control of pH in the Bioculture System Through Carbon Dioxide Control

For successful cell research, the growth culture environment must be tightly controlled. Deviance from the optimal conditions will mask the desired variable being analyzed or lead to inconstancies in the results. In standard laboratories, technology and procedures are readily available for the reliable control of variables such as temperature, pH, nutrient loading, and dissolved gases. Due to the nature of spaceflight, and the inherent constraints to engineering designs, these same elements become a challenge to maintain at stable values by both automated and manual approaches. Launch mass, volume, and power usage create significant constraints to cell culture systems; nonetheless, innovative solutions for active environmental controls are available. The acidity of the growth media cannot be measured through standard probes due to the degradation of electrodes and reliance on indicators for chromatography. Alternatively, carbon dioxide sensors are capable of monitoring the pH by leveraging the relationship between the partial pressure of carbon dioxide and carbonic acid in solution across a membrane. In microgravity cell growth systems, the gas delivery system can be used to actively maintain the media at the proper acidity by maintaining a suitable gas mixture around permeable tubing. Through this method, launch mass and volume are significantly reduced through the efficient use of the limited gas supply in orbit.

cell growth↗