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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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16 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1996

Varying plant density and harvest time to optimize cowpea leaf yield and nutrient content

Plant density and harvest time were manipulated to optimize vegetative (foliar) productivity of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] canopies for future dietary use in controlled ecological life-support systems as vegetables or salad greens. Productivity was measured as total shoot and edible dry weights (DW), edible yield rate [(EYR) grams DW per square meter per day], shoot harvest index [(SHI) grams DW per edible gram DW total shoot], and yield-efficiency rate [(YER) grams DW edible per square meter per day per grams DW nonedible]. Cowpeas were grown in a greenhouse for leaf-only harvest at 14, 28, 42, 56, 84, or 99 plants/m2 and were harvested 20, 30, 40, or 50 days after planting (DAP). Shoot and edible dry weights increased as plant density and time to harvest increased. A maximum of 1189 g shoot DW/m2 and 594 g edible DW/m2 were achieved at an estimated plant density of 85 plants/m2 and harvest 50 DAP. EYR also increased as plant density and time to harvest increased. An EYR of 11 g m-2 day-1 was predicted to occur at 86 plants/m2 and harvest 50 DAP. SHI and YER were not affected by plant density. However, the highest values of SHI (64%) and YER (1.3 g m-2 day-1 g-1) were attained when cowpeas were harvested 20 DAP. The average fat and ash contents [dry-weight basis (dwb)] of harvested leaves remained constant regardless of harvest time. Average protein content increased from 25% DW at 30 DAP to 45% DW at 50 DAP. Carbohydrate content declined from 50% DW at 30 DAP to 45% DW at 50 DAP. Total dietary fiber content (dwb) of the leaves increased from 19% to 26% as time to harvest increased from 20 to 50 days.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS2001

Nitrate concentration effects on NO3-N uptake and reduction, growth, and fruit yield in strawberry

Strawberries (Fragaria xananassa Duch. 'Osogrande') were grown hydroponically with three NO3-N concentrations (3.75, 7.5, or 15.0 mM) to determine effects of varying concentration on NO3-N uptake and reduction rates, and to relate these processes to growth and fruit yield. Plants were grown for 32 weeks, and NO3-N uptake and nitrate reductase (NR) activities in roots and shoots were measured during vegetative and reproductive growth. In general, NO3-N uptake rates increased as NO3-N concentration in the hydroponics system increased. Tissue NO3- concentration also increased as external NO3-N concentration increased, reflecting the differences in uptake rates. There was no effect of external NO3-N concentration on NR activities in leaves or roots during either stage of development. Leaf NR activity averaged approximately 360 nmol NO2 formed/g fresh weight (FW)/h over both developmental stages, while NR activity in roots was much lower, averaging approximately 115 nmol NO2 formed/g FW/h. Vegetative organ FW, dry weight (DW), and total fruit yield were unaffected by NO3-N concentration. These data suggest that the inability of strawberry to increase growth and fruit yield in response to increasing NO3-N concentrations is not due to limitations in NO3-N uptake rates, but rather to limitations in NO3- reduction and/or assimilation in both roots and leaves.

NASA Center KSC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Towards oilcane: Engineering hyperaccumulation of triacylglycerol into sugarcane stems

Abstract Metabolic engineering to divert carbon flux from sucrose to oil in high biomass crop like sugarcane is an emerging strategy to boost lipid yields per hectare for biodiesel production. Sugarcane stems comprise more than 70% of the crops' biomass and can accumulate sucrose in excess of 20% of their extracted juice. The energy content of oils in the form of triacylglycerol (TAG) is more than twofold that of carbohydrates. Here, we report a step change in TAG accumulation in sugarcane stem tissues achieving an average of 4.3% of their dry weight (DW) in replicated greenhouse experiments by multigene engineering. The metabolic engineering included constitutive co‐expression of wrinkled1; diacylglycerol acyltransferase1‐2; cysteine‐oleosin; and ribonucleic acid interference‐suppression of sugar‐dependent1. The TAG content in leaf tissue was also elevated by more than 400‐fold compared to non‐engineered sugarcane to an average of 8.0% of the DW and the amount of total fatty acids reached about 13% of the DW. With increasing TAG accumulation an increase of 18:1 unsaturated fatty acids was observed at the expense of 16:0 and 18:0 saturated fatty acids. Total biomass accumulation, soluble lignin, Brix and juice content were significantly reduced in the TAG hyperaccumulating sugarcane lines. Overcoming this yield drag by engineering lipid accumulation into late stem development will be critical to exceed lipid yields of current oilseed crops.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

ORNL FACE Final Harvest, 2009, with data on leaf characteristics and tree mass

During the final year of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiment, 16 trees were felled and processed during July 2009. The trees had been grown for 12 years in ambient or elevated CO2. Two data sets are reported. Leaf characteristics (leaf mass per unit area, leaf thickness, average leaf size, carbon and nitrogen concentrations) are reported for each 1-meter section of the tree crowns in data set "Canopy_subsamples.csv". The measurements were made on approximately 20 subsamples collected from each 1-meter section of the canopy. Wood dry mass, total tree height, basal area, total leaf mass and leaf area are reported in "Tree_harvest.csv", based on field measurements of fresh mass and dry mass to fresh mass ratio of subsamples. The ORNL FACE experiment, including photos of the harvesting activity, is described at: https://richnorby.org/home/face-home/.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Thermoelectric heating and cooling–integrated dishwasher with thermal energy storage

Household dishwashers must address several performance goals: maximize washing and drying performance, while minimizing cycle duration, energy consumption, and water consumption. This study develops and examines a novel thermoelectric heating and cooling (TEHC) system with thermal energy storage applied to a household dishwasher (DW), aiming to improve the energy and drying performance of a commercially-available dishwasher while maintaining its washing performance, water consumption, and cycle duration. Experimental testing conducted on the novel TEHC-DW system demonstrates an 8.7% reduction in total energy consumption, lowering the per-cycle usage to 0.952 kWh, and a 40% reduction in energy consumption for internal water heating. The novel TEHC-DW system also demonstrates better drying performance, shortening the drying time by 42% to reach the same remaining moisture content as a commercially-available system. In addition, a resistance-capacitance network model is developed that predicts total drying time, total energy consumption, and the highest temperature reached in the tub (53.4 °C). The model accuracy is validated with experimental data (within ±1 K), and the model functions as a design tool via a parametric study to evaluate the next-generation design and the effect of the number of thermoelectric modules and thermoelectric driving force (i.e., current). Overall, this study demonstrates the potential for TEHC technology to improve energy efficiency and drying performance in household dishwashers.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Metabolic engineering of energycane to hyperaccumulate lipids in vegetative biomass

Abstract Background The metabolic engineering of high-biomass crops for lipid production in their vegetative biomass has recently been proposed as a strategy to elevate energy density and lipid yields for biodiesel production. Energycane and sugarcane are highly polyploid, interspecific hybrids between Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum that differ in the amount of ancestral contribution to their genomes. This results in greater biomass yield and persistence in energycane, which makes it the preferred target crop for biofuel production. Results Here, we report on the hyperaccumulation of triacylglycerol (TAG) in energycane following the overexpression of the lipogenic factors Diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1-2 ( DGAT 1-2) and Oleosin 1 ( OLE 1) in combination with RNAi suppression of SUGAR-DEPENDENT 1 ( SDP 1) and Trigalactosyl diacylglycerol 1 ( TGD 1). TAG accumulated up to 1.52% of leaf dry weight (DW,) a rate that was 30-fold that of non-modified energycane, in addition to almost doubling the total fatty acid content in leaves to 4.42% of its DW. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that the accumulation of TAG had the highest correlation with the expression level of ZmDGAT 1-2, followed by the level of RNAi suppression for SDP 1. Conclusions This is the first report on the metabolic engineering of energycane and demonstrates that this resilient, high-biomass crop is an excellent target for the further optimization of the production of lipids from vegetative tissues.

1-2↗
DOE OSTI2022

Engineering triacylglycerol accumulation in duckweed ( Lemna japonica )

Summary Duckweeds are amongst the fastest growing of higher plants, making them attractive high‐biomass targets for biofuel feedstock production. Their fronds have high rates of fatty acid synthesis to meet the demand for new membranes, but triacylglycerols (TAG) only accumulate to very low levels. Here we report on the engineering of Lemna japonica for the synthesis and accumulation of TAG in its fronds. This was achieved by expression of an estradiol‐inducible cyan fluorescent protein‐ Arabidopsis WRINKLED1 fusion protein ( CFP‐AtWRI1 ), strong constitutive expression of a mouse diacylglycerol:acyl‐CoA acyltransferase2 ( MmDGAT ), and a sesame oleosin variant ( SiOLE(*) ). Individual expression of each gene increased TAG accumulation by 1‐ to 7‐fold relative to controls, while expression of pairs of these genes increased TAG by 7‐ to 45‐fold. In uninduced transgenics containing all three genes, TAG accumulation increased by 45‐fold to 3.6% of dry weight (DW) without severely impacting growth, and by 108‐fold to 8.7% of DW after incubation on medium containing 100 μ m estradiol for 4 days. TAG accumulation was accompanied by an increase in total fatty acids of up to three‐fold to approximately 15% of DW. Lipid droplets from fronds of all transgenic lines were visible by confocal microscopy of BODIPY‐stained fronds. At a conservative 12 tonnes (dry matter) per acre and 10% (DW) TAG, duckweed could produce 350 gallons of oil/acre/year, approximately seven‐fold the yield of soybean, and similar to that of oil palm. These findings provide the foundation for optimizing TAG accumulation in duckweed and present a new opportunity for producing biofuels and lipidic bioproducts.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tissue Distribution of Mercury in the Bodies of Wild American Alligators ( Alligator mississippiensis ) from a Coastal Marsh in Louisiana (USA)

Total mercury (THg) concentrations were measured in wild alligators inhabiting a coastal marsh in southern Louisiana, to determine the tissue distribution of THg among various body organs and tissue compartments. Concentrations of THg in claws and dermal tail scutes were compared to those in blood, brain, gonad, heart, kidney, liver, and skeletal muscle to determine if the former tissues, commonly available by non-lethal sampling, could be used as measures of body burdens in various internal organs. Mercury was found in all body organs and tissue compartments. However, overall, THg concentrations measured in alligators were below the FDA action level for fish consumption and were comparable to previous data reported from southwestern Louisiana. Here, our results suggest consumption of meat from alligators found in this region may be of little public health concern. However, the extended period of time between sampling (in this study) and the present-day highlight the need for continuous, additional, and more recent sampling to ensure consumer safety. Total mercury concentrations were highest in the kidney (3.18 ± 0.69 mg/kg dw) and liver (3.12 ± 0.76 mg/kg dw). THg levels in non-lethal samples (blood, claws, and dermal tail scutes) were positively correlated with all tissue THg concentrations (blood: R 2 = 0.513 – 0.988; claw: R 2 = 0.347 – 0.637, scutes: R 2 = 0.333 – 0.649). Because THg concentrations from blood, claws, and scutes were correlated with those of the internal organs, non-lethal sampling methods may be a viable method of estimating levels of THg in other body tissues.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗
NASA NTRS1996

Implementation of a Campuswide Distributed Mass Storage Service: the Dream Versus Reality

In 1990, a technical team at NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, began defining a Mass Storage Service to pro- wide long-term archival storage, short-term storage for very large files, distributed Network File System access, and backup services for critical data dw resides on workstations and personal computers. Because of software availability and budgets, the total service was phased in over dm years. During the process of building the service from the commercial technologies available, our Mass Storage Team refined the original vision and learned from the problems and mistakes that occurred. We also enhanced some technologies to better meet the needs of users and system administrators. This report describes our team's journey from dream to reality, outlines some of the problem areas that still exist, and suggests some solutions.

Prahst, Stephen↗
NASA NTRS1992

Experimental dehydration of natural obsidian and estimation of DH2O at low water contents

Water diffusion experiments were carried out by dehydrating rhyolitic obsidian from Valles Caldera (New Mexico, USA) at 510-980 degrees C. The starting glass wafers contained approximately 0.114 wt% total water, lower than any glasses previously investigated for water diffusion. Weight loss due to dehydration was measured as a function of experiment duration, which permits determination of mean bulk water diffusivity, mean Dw. These diffusivities are in the range of 2.6 to 18 X 10(-14) m2/s and can be fit with the following Arrhenius equation: ln mean Dw (m2/s) = -(25.10 +/- 1.29) - (46,480 +/- 11,400) (J/mol) / RT, except for two replicate runs at 510 degrees C which give mean Dw values much lower than that defined by the above equation. When interpreted according to a model of water speciation in which molecular H2O is the diffusing species with concentration-independent diffusivity while OH units do not contribute to the transport but react to provide H2O, the data (except for the 510 degrees C data) are in agreement with extrapolation from previous results and hence extend the previous data base and provide a test of the applicability of the model to very low water contents. Mean bulk water diffusivities are about two orders of magnitude less than molecular H2O diffusivities because the fraction of molecular H2O out of total water is very small at 0.114 wt% total water and less. The 510 degrees C experimental results can be interpreted as due to slow kinetics of OH to H2O interconversion at low temperatures.

NASA Program Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effect of ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride and root-zone acidity on inorganic ion content of tobacco

Tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv NC82) were supplied with (NH4)2SO4 or NH4Cl at root-zone pH of 6.0 and 4.5 in hydroponic culture for 28 days. Dry matter accumulation, total N and C content, and leaf area and number were not affected by the NH4+ source or root-zone pH. Plants supplied with NH4Cl accumulated up to 1.2 mM Cl g DW-1, but accumulated 37% less inorganic H2PO4- and 47% less SO4(2-) than plants supplied with (NH4)2SO4. The large Cl- accumulation resulted in NH4Cl- supplied plants having a 31% higher inorganic anion (NO3-, H2, PO4-, SO4(2-), and Cl-) charge. This higher inorganic anion charge in the NH4Cl-supplied plants was balanced by a similar increase in K+ charge. Plants supplied with NH4Cl accumulated greater concentrations of Cl- in leaves (up to 5.1% of DW) than plants supplied with (NH4)2SO4 (less than -% DW). Despite the high Cl- concentration of leaves in NH4Cl supplied plants, these plants showed no symptoms of Cl- toxicity. This demonstrates that toxicity symptoms are not due solely to an interaction between high Cl- concentration in tissue and NH4+ nutrition. The increase in root-zone acidity to pH 4.5 from 6.0 did not induce toxicity symptoms.

NASA Program CELSS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Triacylglycerol, total fatty acid, and biomass accumulation of metabolically engineered energycane grown under field conditions confirms its potential as feedstock for drop‐in fuel production

Abstract Metabolic engineering for hyperaccumulation of lipids in vegetative tissues of high biomass crops promises a step change in oil yields for the production of advanced biofuels. Energycane is the ideal feedstock for this approach due to its exceptional biomass production and persistence under marginal conditions. Here, we evaluated metabolically engineered energycane with constitutive expression of the lipogenic factors WRINKLED 1 ( WRI 1), DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE 1 ( DGAT 1), and OLEOSIN 1 ( OLE 1) for the accumulation of triacylglycerol (TAG), total fatty acid (TFA), and biomass under field conditions at the University of Florida‐IFAS experiment station near Citra, Florida. TAG and TFA accumulation were highest in leaves (up to 9.9% and 12.9% of DW, respectively), followed by juice from crushed stems, stems, and roots. TAG and TFA accumulation increased up to harvest time and correlated highest with OLE 1 and DGAT 1 expression. Biomass dry weight, TAG, and TFA content differed greatly depending on DGAT 1 and OLE 1 expression in transgenic lines with similar WRI 1 expression. Biomass did not significantly differ between WT and line L2 with DAGT 1 and OLE 1 expressed at low levels and TAG and TFA accumulating to 12‐ and 1.6‐fold that of WT leaves, respectively. In contrast, line L13, with intron‐mediated enhancement of DGAT 1 expression, displayed a 245‐ to 330‐fold increase in TAG and a 4.75‐ to 6.45‐fold increase in TFA content compared with WT leaves and a biomass reduction of 52%. These results provide the basis for developing novel feedstocks for expanding plant lipid production and point to new prospects for advanced biofuels.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1982

Results and comparison of Hall and DW duct experiments

Experimental data from recent tests of a 45 deg diagonal wall duct are presented and compared with the results of a similar Hall duct. It is shown that while the peak power density of the two devices is approximately equal that the diagonal wall duct produces greater total power output due to its ability to better utilize the available magnetic field.

Smith, J. M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Integration of plant and microbial oil processing at oilcane biorefineries for more sustainable biofuel production

Oilcane—an oil-accumulating crop engineered from sugarcane—and microbial oil have the potential to improve renewable oil production and help meet the expected demand for bioderived oleochemicals and fuels. To assess the potential synergies of processing both plant and microbial oils, the economic and environmental implications of integrating microbial oil production at oilcane and sugarcane biorefineries were characterized. Due to decreased crop yields that lead to higher simulated feedstock prices and lower biorefinery capacities, current oilcane prototypes result in higher costs and carbon intensities than microbial oil from sugarcane. To inform oilcane feedstock development, we calculated the required biomass yields (as a function of oil content) for oilcane to achieve financial parity with sugarcane. At 10 dw% oil, oilcane can sustain up to 30% less yield than sugarcane and still be more profitable in all simulated scenarios. Assuming continued improvements in microbial oil production from cane juice, achieving this target results in a minimum biodiesel selling price of 1.34 [0.90, 1.85] USD∙L –1 (presented as median [5th, 95th] percentiles), a carbon intensity of 0.51 [0.47, 0.55] kg CO 2 e L –1 , and a total biodiesel yield of 2140 [1870, 2410] L ha –1 year –1 . Compared to biofuel production from soybean, this outcome is equivalent to 3.0–3.9 as much biofuel per hectare of land and a 57%–63% reduction in carbon intensity. While only 20% of simulated scenarios fell within the market price range of biodiesel (0.45–1.11 USD∙L –1 ), if the oilcane biomass yield would improve to 25.6 DMT∙ha –1 ∙y –1 (an equivalent yield to sugarcane) 87% of evaluated scenarios would have a minimum biodiesel selling price within or below the market price range.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Data for Intron-Mediated Enhancement of DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE1 Expression in Energycane Promotes a Step Change for Lipid Accumulation in Vegetative Tissues

Metabolic engineering for hyperaccumulation of lipids in vegetative tissues is a novel strategy for enhancing energy density and biofuel production from biomass crops. Energycane is a prime feedstock for this approach due to its high biomass production and resilience under marginal conditions. DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE ( DGAT ) catalyzes the last and only committed step in the biosynthesis of triacylglycerol (TAG) and can be a rate-limiting enzyme for the production of TAG. In this study, we explored the effect of intron-mediated enhancement (IME) on the expression of DGAT1 and resulting accumulation of TAG and total fatty acid (TFA) in leaf and stem tissues of energycane. To maximize lipid accumulation these evaluations were carried out by co-expressing the lipogenic transcription factor WRINKLED1 ( WRI1 ) and the TAG protect factor oleosin ( OLE1 ). Including an intron in the codon-optimized TmDGAT1 elevated the accumulation of its transcript in leaves by seven times on average based on 5 transgenic lines for each construct. Plants with WRI1 (W), DGAT1 with intron (Di), and OLE1 (O) expression (WDiO) accumulated TAG up to a 3.85% of leaf dry weight (DW), a 192-fold increase compared to non-modified energycane (WT) and a 3.8-fold increase compared to the highest accumulation under the intron-less gene combination (WDO). This corresponded to TFA accumulation of up to 8.4% of leaf dry weight, a 2.8-fold or 6.1-fold increase compared to WDO or WT, respectively. Co-expression of WDiO resulted in stem accumulations of TAG up to 1.14% of DW or TFA up to 2.08% of DW that exceeded WT by 57-fold or 12-fold and WDO more than twofold, respectively. Constitutive expression of these lipogenic “push pull and protect” factors correlated with biomass reduction. Intron-mediated enhancement (IME) of the expression of DGAT resulted in a step change in lipid accumulation of energycane and confirmed that under our experimental conditions it is rate limiting for lipid accumulation. IME should be applied to other lipogenic factors and metabolic engineering strategies. The findings from this study may be valuable in developing a high biomass feedstock for commercial production of lipids and advanced biofuels.

Feedstock Production↗
DOE OSTI2023

Intron-mediated enhancement of DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE1 expression in energycane promotes a step change for lipid accumulation in vegetative tissues

Abstract Background Metabolic engineering for hyperaccumulation of lipids in vegetative tissues is a novel strategy for enhancing energy density and biofuel production from biomass crops. Energycane is a prime feedstock for this approach due to its high biomass production and resilience under marginal conditions. DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE ( DGAT ) catalyzes the last and only committed step in the biosynthesis of triacylglycerol (TAG) and can be a rate-limiting enzyme for the production of TAG. Results In this study, we explored the effect of intron-mediated enhancement (IME) on the expression of DGAT 1 and resulting accumulation of TAG and total fatty acid (TFA) in leaf and stem tissues of energycane. To maximize lipid accumulation these evaluations were carried out by co-expressing the lipogenic transcription factor WRINKLED 1 ( WRI 1) and the TAG protect factor oleosin ( OLE 1). Including an intron in the codon-optimized TmDGAT 1 elevated the accumulation of its transcript in leaves by seven times on average based on 5 transgenic lines for each construct. Plants with WRI 1 (W), DGAT 1 with intron (Di), and OLE 1 (O) expression (WDiO) accumulated TAG up to a 3.85% of leaf dry weight (DW), a 192-fold increase compared to non-modified energycane (WT) and a 3.8-fold increase compared to the highest accumulation under the intron-less gene combination (WDO). This corresponded to TFA accumulation of up to 8.4% of leaf dry weight, a 2.8-fold or 6.1-fold increase compared to WDO or WT, respectively. Co-expression of WDiO resulted in stem accumulations of TAG up to 1.14% of DW or TFA up to 2.08% of DW that exceeded WT by 57-fold or 12-fold and WDO more than twofold, respectively. Constitutive expression of these lipogenic “push pull and protect” factors correlated with biomass reduction. Conclusions Intron-mediated enhancement (IME) of the expression of DGAT resulted in a step change in lipid accumulation of energycane and confirmed that under our experimental conditions it is rate limiting for lipid accumulation. IME should be applied to other lipogenic factors and metabolic engineering strategies. The findings from this study may be valuable in developing a high biomass feedstock for commercial production of lipids and advanced biofuels. Graphical abstract

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗