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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Isolation and characterization of new lignin streams derived from extractive-ammonia (EA) pretreatment

One of the key challenges facing lignin conversion to fuels and chemicals is related to the level of carbohydrate and ash impurities found in extracted lignin. Structural modifications of lignin may also occur as a result of biomass pretreatment and harsh lignin extraction protocols. Extractive-Ammonia (EA) is a new pretreatment technology that uses liquid ammonia to cleave lignin–carbohydrate complexes, decrystallize cellulose, solubilize lignin, and selectively extract lignin from lignocellulosic biomass, enabling better utilization of both lignin and carbohydrate components in a biorefinery. The EA-based biorefinery produces two different lignin-rich streams, with different properties, that could potentially be upgraded to fuels and chemicals using green processes. Here, a water/ethanol-based fractionation method was developed to enrich the ammonia-soluble extractives, resulting in a major product stream containing 92% lignin. Detailed characterization of the various streams resulting from EA treatment, including compositional analysis, structural characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry, elemental analysis, molecular weight analysis, and thermo-gravimetric analysis provides a broad evaluation of the EA-derived lignin product stream structures and properties, assessing their potential for commercial applications. In conclusion, EA-derived lignins preserve much of lignin's functionality, including the sensitive β-aryl ether units. Furthermore, we observed nitrogen incorporation in the lignin-rich streams, notably due to the presence of hydroxycinnamoyl amides formed during ammonia pretreatment.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS2003

Black Carbon in Estuarine (Coastal) High-molecular-weight Dissolved Organic Matter

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the ocean constitutes one of the largest pools of organic carbon in the biosphere, yet much of its composition is uncharacterized. Observations of black carbon (BC) particles (by-products of fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning) in the atmosphere, ice, rivers, soils and marine sediments suggest that this material is ubiquitous, yet the contribution of BC to the ocean s DOM pool remains unknown. Analysis of high-molecular-weight DOM isolated from surface waters of two estuaries in the northwest Atlantic Ocean finds that BC is a significant component of DOM, suggesting that river-estuary systems are important exporters of BC to the ocean through DOM. We show that BC comprises 4-7% of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) at coastal ocean sites, which supports the hypothesis that the DOC pool is the intermediate reservoir in which BC ages prior to sedimentary deposition. Flux calculations suggest that BC could be as important as vascular plant-derived lignin in terms of carbon inputs to the ocean. Production of BC sequesters fossil fuel- and biomass-derived carbon into a refractory carbon pool. Hence, BC may represent a significant sink for carbon to the ocean.

Mannino, Antonio↗
DOE OSTI2019

Gasification of coal, Chenopodium Album biomass, and co-gasification of a coal-biomass mixture by thermogravimetric-gas analysis

Gasification studies were performed on sub-bituminous coal of the province Centro in Boyacá state of Colombia, vegetable biomass Chenopodium album (cenizo) and co-gasification of coal-biomass mixtures agglomerated with paraffin in a thermogravimetric analyzer. Biomass synergistically promoted thermochemical transformation of the coal was observed. Experimental results were compared to equilibrium composition simulations. Ash fusibility tests of the coal-biomass mixture were carried out, which allowed to clarify its behavior, such as dry or fluid ash according to own chemical composition, during the gasification process. The experimental tests allowed determining the differences in thermal decomposition, between coal, cenizo and coal-biomass blend, which are attributable to the physicochemical properties of each one solid fuel. During the tests, gas chromatography analyses were performed to establish the compositions of the syngas. The syngas obtained from biomass had the highest concentration of CO and the lowest H 2 ; the coal and the coal-biomass mixture were slightly minor respectively. Concentrations of CH 4 , CO 2 and C 2 H 4 were similar between coal and biomass. This result is consistent with the higher calorific value of the coal syngas. The production of syngas from the coal-biomass mixture had the lowest contents of H 2 and CO due to synergistic phenomena that occur with the fuel mixture. The co-gasification of the mixture gave the highest syngas production, carbon conversion, and thermal efficiency. These results indicate the viability of co-gasification of coal- Chenopodium album agglomerated mixtures. In gasification of non-agglomerated mixtures of coal-cenizo, the biomass can be burned directly without producing syngas.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Energy Technologies Research and Education Initiative

For this project, the intended goal of the microgrid component was to investigate issues in policy and technology that would drive higher penetration of renewable energy, and to demonstrate implementation in a utility system. The work accomplished on modeling the dynamics of photovoltaic (PV) penetration can be expanded for practical application. Using such a tool those involved in public policy can examine what the effect of a particular policy initiative, e.g., renewable portfolio standards (RPS) requirements, might be in terms of the desired targets. The work in the area of microgrid design, protection, and operation is fundamental to the development of microgrids. In particular the “Energy Delivery” paradigm provides new opportunities and business models for utilities. Ultimately, Energy Delivery could accrue significant benefits in terms of costs and resiliency. The experimental microgrid will support continued research and allow the demonstration of technology for better integration of renewables. The algal biofuels component of the project was developed to enhance the test facility and to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of a commercial-scale geothermal algal biofuels operation for replication elsewhere in the arid Southwest. The project was housed at New Mexico State University’s (NMSU’s) Geothermal Aquaculture Facility (GAF) and a design for the inoculation train and algae grow-out process was developed. The facility was upgraded with modifications to existing electrical, plumbing and structural components on the GAF and surrounding grounds. The research work was conducted on biomass-processing, harvesting, dewatering, and extraction. Additionally, research was conducted to determine viability of using low-cost, wastewater from municipal treatment plants in the cultivation units as make-up water and as a source of nutrients, including nitrogen and soluble phosphorus. Data was collected on inputs and outputs, growth evaluation and chemical composition of algal biomass feedstock. Also, research was completed on evaluating inoculation train, algae grow-out units, indoor cultivation units and the algal biomass dewatering units to identify opportunities for recapturing waste energy, water and biomass in the individual units or any combination of these units. A preliminary economic analysis was conducted.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Field intercomparison of ice nucleation measurements: the Fifth International Workshop on Ice Nucleation Phase 3 (FIN-03)

Abstract. The third phase of the Fifth International Ice Nucleation Workshop (FIN-03) was conducted at the Storm Peak Laboratory in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in September 2015 to facilitate the intercomparison of instruments measuring ice-nucleating particles (INPs) in the field. Instruments included two online and four offline measurement systems for INPs, which are a subset of those utilized in the laboratory study that comprised the second phase of FIN (FIN-02). The composition of the total aerosols was characterized using the Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry (PALMS) and Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS) instruments, and aerosol size distributions were measured by a laser aerosol spectrometer (LAS). The dominant total particle compositions present during FIN-03 were composed of sulfates, organic compounds, and nitrates, as well as particles derived from biomass burning. Mineral-dust-containing particles were ubiquitous throughout and represented 67 % of supermicron particles. Total WIBS fluorescing particle concentrations for particles with diameters of > 0.5 µm were 0.04 ± 0.02 cm−3 (0.1 cm−3 highest; 0.02 cm−3 lowest), typical of the warm season in this region and representing ≈ 9 % of all particles in this size range as a campaign average. The primary focus of FIN-03 was the measurement of INP concentrations via immersion freezing at temperatures > −33 °C. Additionally, some measurements were made in the deposition nucleation regime at these same temperatures, representing one of the first efforts to include both mechanisms within a field campaign. INP concentrations via immersion freezing agreed within factors ranging from nearly 1 to 5 times on average between matched (time and temperature) measurements, and disagreements only rarely exceeded 1 order of magnitude for sampling times coordinated to within 3 h. Comparisons were restricted to temperatures lower than −15 °C due to the limits of detection related to sample volumes and very low INP concentrations. Outliers of up to 2 orders of magnitude occurred between −25 and −18 °C; a better agreement was seen at higher and lower temperatures. Although the 5–10 factor agreement of INP measurements found in FIN-03 aligned with the results of the FIN-02 laboratory comparison phase, giving confidence in progress of this measurement field, this level of agreement still equates to temperature uncertainties of 3.5 to 5 °C that may not be sufficient for numerical cloud modeling applications that utilize INP information. INP activity in the immersion-freezing mode was generally found to be an order of magnitude or more, making it more efficient than in the deposition regime at 95 %–99 % water relative humidity, although this limited data set should be augmented in future efforts. To contextualize the study results, an assessment was made of the composition of INPs during the late-summer to early-fall period of this study inferred through comparison to existing ice nucleation parameterizations and through measurement of the influence of thermal and organic carbon digestion treatments on immersion-freezing ice nucleation activity. Consistent with other studies in continental regions, biological INPs dominated at temperatures of > −20 °C and sometimes colder, while arable dust-like or other organic-influenced INPs were inferred to dominate below −20 °C.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2001

Composition of Hydrothermal Vent Microbial Communities as Revealed by Analyses of Signature Lipids, Stable Carbon Isotopes and Aquificales Cultures

Extremely thermophilic microbial communities associated with the siliceous vent walls and outflow channel of Octopus Spring, Yellowstone National Park, have been examined for lipid biomarkers and carbon isotopic signatures. These data were compared with that obtained from representatives of three Aquificales genera. Thermocrinis ruber. "Thermocrinis sp. HI", Hydrogenobacter thermophilus TK-6, Aquifex pyrophilus and Aquifex aeolicus all contained phospholipids composed not only of the usual ester-linked fatty acids, but also ether-linked alkyls. The fatty acids of all cultured organisms were dominated by a very distinct pattern of n-C-20:1 and cy-C-21 compounds. The alkyl glycerol ethers were present primarily as CIS() monoethers with the expection of the Aquifex spp. in which dialkyl glycerol ethers with a boarder carbon-number distribution were also present. These Aquificales biomarker lipids were the major constituents in the lipid extracts of the Octopus Spring microbial samples. Two natural samples, a microbial biofilm growing in association with deposition of amorphous silica on the vent walls at 92 C, and the well-known 'pink-streamers community' (PSC), siliceous filaments of a microbial consortia growing in the upper outflow channel at 87 C were analyzed. Both the biofilm and PSC samples contained mono and dialkyl glycerol ethers with a prevalence of C-18 and C-20 alkyls. Phospholipid fatty acids were comprised of both the characteristic Aquificales n-C-20:1 and cy-C-21, and in addition, a series of iso-branched fatty acids from i-C-15:0 to i-C-21:0, With i-C-17:0 dominant in the PSC and i-C-19:0 in the biofilm, suggesting the presence of two major bacterial groups. Bacteriohopanepolyols were absent and the minute quantities of archaeol detected showed that Archaea were only minor constituents. Carbon isotopic compositions of the PSC yielded information about community structure and likely physiology. Biomass was C-13-depleted (10.9%) relative to available CO2 from the source water inorganic carbon pool with lipids further depleted by 6.3% relative to biomass The C-20-21 Aquificales fatty acids of the PSC were somewhat heavier than the iso-branched fatty acids. The carbon isotopic signatures of lipid biomarkers were also explored using a pure culture, T ruber, previously isolated from the PSC. Cells grown on C02 with O2 and both H2 and thiosulfate as electron donors were only slightly depleted (3.3%) relative to the C-source while cells grown on formate with O2 showed a major discrimination (19.7%), possibly the result of a metabolic branch point involving the assimilation of C-formate to biomass and the dissimilation to CO2 associated with energy production. T. ruber lipids were slightly heavier than biomass (+1.3%) whether cells were grown using CO2 or formate. Fatty acids from CO2 grown T. ruber cells were a so slightly heavier (average +2.1%) than biomass. The relatively depleted PSC C-20-21 fatty acids suggest that any associated Thermocrinis biomass would also be similarly depleted and much too light to be explained by growth on CO2. The C-fractionations determined with the pure culture suggest that growth of Thermocrinis in the PSC is more likely to occur on formate, presumably generated by geothermal activity. This study points to the value of the analysis of the structural and isotopic composition of lipid blomarkers both in pure culture studies, and in establishing community structure and physiology, as a complement to genomic profiles of microbial diversity. This is especially so when the members of the microbial community are novel and difficult to cultivate in the laboratory.

Jahnke, Linda L.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Thermo-Mechanical Behavior of Genetically Modified Populus trichocarpa

Wood processing is often performed at elevated temperatures under moisture-saturated conditions; therefore, it is important to understand the impact of the lignin content and lignin chemical structure on the thermo-mechanical properties of wood. In this study, genetically modified Populus trichocarpa wood specimens with down-regulated cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase, cinnamate 3-hydroxylase, and cinnamate 4-hydroxylase with altered lignin contents and/or lignin structures were utilized to probe the relationship between the lignin content, lignin monomer composition, and thermo-mechanical properties of solid wood. The thermo-mechanical properties of these unique samples were measured using dynamic mechanical analysis and the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spin-spin relaxation time. The results showed that the transgenic P. trichocarpa samples had decreased storage and loss moduli compared with the wildtype. The solid-state NMR revealed increased lignin molecular mobility in the reduced-lignin transgenic lines. Also, noticeably reduced glass transition temperatures (Tg) were observed in the transgenic lines with reduced lignin contents and altered lignin monomer compositions compared with the wildtype. The increased lignin molecular mobility and reduced Tg in these samples can probably contribute to wood utilization and processing, such as lignin removal for pulp and paper and biofuels production, as well as particle consolidation during wood composite manufacturing.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Comparison of methodologies used to determine aromatic lignin unit ratios in lignocellulosic biomass

Abstract Background Multiple analytical methods have been developed to determine the ratios of aromatic lignin units, particularly the syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio, of lignin biopolymers in plant cell walls. Chemical degradation methods such as thioacidolysis produce aromatic lignin units that are released from certain linkages and may induce chemical changes rendering it difficult to distinguish and determine the source of specific aromatic lignin units released, as is the case with nitrobenzene oxidation methodology. NMR methods provide powerful tools used to analyze cell walls for lignin composition and linkage information. Pyrolysis-mass spectrometry methods are also widely used, particularly as high-throughput methodologies. However, the different techniques used to analyze aromatic lignin unit ratios frequently yield different results within and across particular studies, making it difficult to interpret and compare results. This also makes it difficult to obtain meaningful insights relating these measurements to other characteristics of plant cell walls that may impact biomass sustainability and conversion metrics for the production of bio-derived fuels and chemicals. Results The authors compared the S/G lignin unit ratios obtained from thioacidolysis, pyrolysis-molecular beam mass spectrometry (py-MBMS), HSQC liquid-state NMR and solid-state (ss) NMR methodologies of pine, several genotypes of poplar, and corn stover biomass. An underutilized approach to deconvolute ssNMR spectra was implemented to derive S/G ratios. The S/G ratios obtained for the samples did not agree across the different methods, but trends were similar with the most agreement among the py-MBMS, HSQC NMR and deconvoluted ssNMR methods. The relationship between S/G, thioacidolysis yields, and linkage analysis determined by HSQC is also addressed. Conclusions This work demonstrates that different methods using chemical, thermal, and non-destructive NMR techniques to determine native lignin S/G ratios in plant cell walls may yield different results depending on species and linkage abundances. Spectral deconvolution can be applied to many hardwoods with lignin dominated by S and G units, but the results may not be reliable for some woody and grassy species of more diverse lignin composition. HSQC may be a better method for analyzing lignin in those species given the wealth of information provided on additional aromatic moieties and bond linkages. Additionally, trends or correlations in lignin characteristics such as S/G ratios and lignin linkages within the same species such as poplar may not necessarily exhibit the same trends or correlations made across different biomass types. Careful consideration is required when choosing a method to measure S/G ratios and the benefits and shortcomings of each method discussed here are summarized.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Characterization of upgraded fast pyrolysis oak oil distillate fractions from sulfided and non-sulfided catalytic hydrotreating

Catalytic hydroprocessing of pyrolysis oils from biomass produces hydrocarbons that can be considered for liquid fuel production. This process requires removal of oxygen and cracking of the heavier molecular weight bio-oil constituents into smaller fragments at high temperatures and pressures under hydrogen. A comprehensive understanding of product oils is useful to optimize cost versus degree of deoxygenation. Additionally, a better understanding of the chemical composition of the distillate fractions can open up other uses of upgraded oils for potentially higher-value chemical streams. We present in this paper the characterization data for five well-defined distillate fractions of two hydroprocessed oils with different oxygen levels: a low oxygen content (LOC, 1.8% O, wet basis) oil and a medium oxygen content (MOC, 6.4% O, wet basis) oil. Elemental analysis and 13C NMR results suggest that the distillate fractions become more aromatic/unsaturated as they become heavier. Our results also show that the use of sulfided catalysts directly affects the S content of the lightest distillate fraction. Carbonyl and carboxylic groups were found in the MOC light fractions, while phenols were present in the heavier fractions for both MOC and LOC. PIONA analysis of the light LOC fraction shows a predominance of paraffins with a minor amount of olefins. These results can be used to direct future research on refinery integration and production of value-added product from specific upgraded oil streams.

biofuel↗
NASA NTRS2017

Creating Aerosol Types Form CHemistry (CATCH): a New Algorithm to Extend the Link Between Remote Sensing and Models

Current remote sensing methods can identify aerosol types within an atmospheric column, presenting an opportunity to incrementally bridge the gap between remote sensing and models. Here a new algorithm was designed for Creating Aerosol Types from CHemistry (CATCH). CATCH-derived aerosol types—dusty mix, maritime, urban, smoke, and fresh smoke—are based on first-generation airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL-1) retrievals during the Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR) campaign, July/August 2014. CATCH is designed to derive aerosol types from model output of chemical composition. CATCH-derived aerosol types are determined by multivariate clustering of model-calculated variables that have been trained using retrievals of aerosol types from HSRL-1. CATCH-derived aerosol types (with the exception of smoke) compare well with HSRL-1 retrievals during SABOR with an average difference in aerosol optical depth (AOD) <0.03. Data analysis shows that episodic free tropospheric transport of smoke is underpredicted by the Goddard Earth Observing System- with Chemistry (GEOS-Chem) model. Spatial distributions of CATCH-derived aerosol types for the North American model domain during July/August 2014 show that aerosol type-specific AOD values occurred over representative locations: urban over areas with large population, maritime over oceans, smoke, and fresh smoke over typical biomass burning regions. This study demonstrates that model-generated information on aerosol chemical composition can be translated into aerosol types analogous to those retrieved from remote sensing methods. In the future, spaceborne HSRL-1 and CATCH can be used to gain insight into chemical composition of aerosol types, reducing uncertainties in estimates of aerosol radiative forcing.

K W Dawson↗
DOE OSTI2025

Creation of an Acyltransferase Toolbox for Plant Biomass Engineering (Final Report)

The major goal of this project was to expand our understanding of acyl‐CoA ligases and BAHD acyltransferases and their utility in plant engineering. We combined bioinformatic analysis of genes and transcripts with functional fingerprinting of synthesized genes produced by JGI. Best candidates from this experimental pipeline were transferred into bioenergy plants to study their effects on lignin composition. We found combinations of ligase and transferase genes encoding enzymes with interesting catalytic specificities. Our work demonstrated the feasibility of use of acyl-CoA ligases and BAHD acyltransferases to alter the composition of plant cell walls without deleterious effects on the modified plant.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

How does pelleting alter the enzymatic digestibility of corn stover?

Pelleting of lignocellulosic biomass facilitates its transportation, storage and handling and offers opportunities to improve the enzymatic digestibility of pelleted biomass. Here, we report the impact of pelleting on the enzymatic digestibility of corn stover prior to pretreatment and associated substrate characteristics. Pelleting almost doubles the digestibility of unpretreated corn stover, from 8.2 to 15.5% glucan conversion, at 5% solid loading using 1 FPU Cellic CTec2 per g solids. Compositional analysis indicates that loose and pelleted corn stover have similar non-dissolvable compositions, although their extractives are slightly different. Enzymatic hydrolysis of washed corn stover after size reduction to normalize particle sizes and removal of extractives confirms that pelleting improves corn stover digestibility. Such differences may be explained by the decreased particle size, increased specific surface area, improved cellulose accessibility, and reduction of the polymer length of cellulose induced by pelleting. These findings help to design processing schemes for sustainable and efficient use of lignocellulose.

Chen, Xueli↗
DOE OSTI2022

Feedstock and Catalyst Impact on Bio-Oil Production and FCC Co-Processing to Fuels

NREL's thermochemical biomass conversion research is focused on ex-situ upgrading of biomass fast-pyrolysis (FP) vapors as an efficient route to completely biogenic pyrolysis-based fuel precursors, fuels, and value-added chemicals depending on catalyst and process conditions. A near term pathway being developed uses these liquids for co-processing with petroleum feedstocks to assess biogenic carbon incorporation in hydrocarbon fuel feedstocks for potential refinery use. In this work, the impact of feedstock and catalyst on catalytic fast pyrolysis oil (CFPO) composition was determined with the oils then assessed for biogenic fuel production via FCC (fluidized catalytic cracking) co-processing. Biomass vapors were generated via fast pyrolysis with destabilizing vapor components (char, inorganics, tar aerosols) removed by hot gas filtration to produce clean vapors more responsive to catalytic upgrading. A Davison Circulating Riser (DCR), a petroleum industry standard for fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst evaluation, was coupled to a custom pyrolyzer system designed to produce consistent-composition pyrolysis vapors as feed to the DCR. Pyrolysis vapors, derived from pure hardwood and softwood, were upgraded using commercially available modified zeolite-based catalysts to produce CFPOs. These upgraded oils were analyzed via 31P and 13C NMR spectroscopy, GCxGC-TOF/MS, carbonyl and ultimate analysis (CHNO), and simulated distillation (SIMDIS) to assess both oil chemistry and distillation behavior as they relate to catalyst and feedstock type for producing fungible hydrocarbon product liquids. These exploratory vapor-phase-upgrading results demonstrated the feasibility of producing refinery-compatible hydrocarbon fuel intermediates entirely from biomass-derived fast-pyrolysis vapors using an industry-accepted DCR system for catalytic upgrading. The FCC co-processing results demonstrated the feasibility of using CFPOs with VGO feeds in FCC refinery operations to produce biogenic carbon containing fuels.

biogenic carbon↗
DOE OSTI2014

Tracking Elevated Pollution Layers with a Newly Developed Hyperspectral Sun/Sky Spectrometer (4STAR): Results from the TCAP 2012 and 2013 Campaigns

Total columnar amounts of water vapor, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) are derived from a newly developed, hyperspectral airborne sun-sky spectrometer (4STAR) for the first time during the two intensive phases of the Two Column Aerosol Project (TCAP) in summer 2012 and winter 2013 aboard the DOE G-1 aircraft. We compare results with coincident measurements. We find 0.045 g/cm2 (4.2%) negative bias and 0.28 g/cm2 (26.3%) root-mean-square (RMS) difference in water vapor layer comparison with in-situ hygrometer, and an overall RMS difference of 1.28 g/m3 (38%) water vapor amount in profile by profile comparisons, with differences distributed evenly around zero in most cases. The RMS differences for O3 values average to 3%, with a 1% negative bias for 4STAR compared with the spaceborne Ozone Measuring Instrument (OMI) along the aircraft flight-track for 14 flights during both TCAP phases. Ground-based comparisons with the Pandora spectrometer system at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, Maryland showed excellent agreement between the instruments for both O3 and NO2, further emphasizing 4STAR’s new capabilities. During the summer phase, we have succeeded in identifying variations in elevated pollution layers corresponding to urban pollution outflow and transported biomass burning. This was done using clustering analysis of the retrieved products (e.g. Ångstrom exponent, NO2 and columnar water vapor), and was confirmed by aerosol type identification by HSRL2 aboard the NASA B-200 aircraft. These newly demonstrated 4STAR capabilities are expected to be instrumental in improving our understanding of atmospheric composition variability and aerosol-trace-gas interactions; they open new horizons and opportunities in airborne sunphotometry.

4STAR↗
DOE OSTI2022

MSW Variability Mapping and Conversion to Biofuel

MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) is a form of biomass which consists of categorized components of waste/trash. The general categories are paper, yard trash, construction & debris, appliances, tires, glass, metals, aluminum & steel cans, plastics, organics, inorganics, and HHW (Household Hazardous Waste). This project focuses on the factors within a region or population that contribute to variability in the composition of MSW and in turn MSW’s convertibility to biofuel. A list of contributors was determined (Social Vulnerability Index, Access to Public Transportation, Racial Distribution, GDP, Personal Income) and then JMP was used to perform a Multivariate analysis to determine correlations and a Partial Least-Squares regression to determine Variable Importance Plots for each MSW category. In addition to data analysis, the convertibility of MSW to biofuel was studied via microwave pyrolysis system in order to separate and characterize the various gaseous and bio-oil products.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Plant traits, productivity, biomass and soil properties from forest sites in the Pacific Northwest, 1999–2014

Plant trait measurements are needed for evaluating ecological responses to environmental conditions and for ecosystem process model development, parameterization, and testing. Here, we present a standardized dataset integrating measurements from projects conducted by the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research and Regional Analysis- Pacific Northwest (TERRA-PNW) research group between 1999 and 2014 across Oregon and Northern California, where measurements were collected for scaling and modeling regional terrestrial carbon processes with models such as Biome-BGC and the Community Land Model. The dataset contains measurements of specific leaf area, leaf longevity, leaf carbon and nitrogen for 35 tree and shrub species derived from more than 1,200 branch samples collected from over 200 forest plots, including several AmeriFlux sites. The dataset also contains plot-level measurements of forest composition, structure (e.g., tree biomass), and productivity, as well as measurements of soil structure (e.g., bulk density) and chemistry (e.g., carbon). Publically-archiving regional datasets of standardized, co-located, and geo-referenced plant trait measurements will advance the ability of earth system models to capture species-level climate sensitivity at regional to global scales.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2018

A sorghum NAC gene is associated with variation in biomass properties and yield potential

Abstract Sorghum bicolor is a C 4 grass widely cultivated for grain, forage, sugar, and biomass. The sorghum Dry Stalk (D) locus controls a qualitative difference between juicy green (dd) and dry white (D‐) stalks and midribs, and co‐localizes with a quantitative trait locus for sugar yield. Here, we apply fine‐mapping and genome‐wide association study ( GWAS ) to identify a candidate gene underlying D , and use nearly isogenic lines (NILs) to characterize the transcriptional, compositional, and agronomic effects of variation at the D locus. The D locus was fine‐mapped to a 36 kb interval containing four genes. One of these genes is a NAC transcription factor that contains a stop codon in the NAC domain in the recessive (dd) parent. Allelic variation at D affects grain yield, sugar yield, and biomass composition in NILs. Green midrib ( dd) NIL s show reductions in lignin in stalk tissue and produce higher sugar and grain yields under well‐watered field conditions. Increased yield potential in dd NIL s is associated with increased stalk mass and moisture, higher biomass digestibility, and an extended period of grain filling. Transcriptome profiling of midrib tissue at the 4–6 leaf stages, when NIL s first become phenotypically distinct, reveals that dd NIL s have increased expression of a miniature zinc finger ( MIF ) gene. MIF genes dimerize with and suppress zinc finger homeodomain ( ZF ‐ HD ) transcription factors, and a ZF ‐ HD gene is associated with midrib color variation in a GWAS analysis across 1,694 diverse sorghum inbreds. A premature stop codon in a NAC gene is the most likely candidate polymorphism underlying the sorghum D locus. More detailed understanding of the sorghum D locus could help improve agronomic potential in cereals.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗