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At least 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Antarctica Radiological Source Removals (Final Report)

On 18 May 2015, the research vessel Akademik Fedorov of the Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE) delivered four radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) from Antarctica to the port of St. Petersburg, Russia. The RTGs had been previously used in the work program of the former Soviet Antarctic Expedition (SAE). From the mid-1970s, RTGs have been used to provide autonomous power at geophysical and meteorological stations located in remote regions of Antarctica. The research was completed in the early 1990s, but not all the generators had been removed when the stations were decommissioned. The remaining four unsecured RTGs, with their strontium-90 ( 90 Sr) radiological material and a combined total activity of 80,000 curies (Ci), still posed a potential risk as they could be used for nefarious purposes. Therefore, a plan of action for the removal of the RTGs from Antarctica was developed. This was done within the framework of the international program for the disposal of Russian RTGs. Financial support and technical oversight was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), while logistical support was provided by the Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE) of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) and by subsidiaries of the Russian Federation’s Rosatom State Corporation. Recovering and repatriating the RTGs from the continent of Antarctica to the Russian Federation proved to be a very difficult task, including satisfying all the legal aspects within a very tight timeframe. This involved indemnification issues, adhering to new laws enacted after the Soviet Union era, and obtaining all the necessary permits and certifications for transport of the RTGs by air, sea, and land. It was an international, collaborative effort involving the cooperation of multiple organizations to complete the legal work and preparation of necessary documents. In addition, AARI needed to create a separate structure within its organization to manage the process, including the provision of special medical screenings, training, and certifications of its institute personnel. This was done so AARI could fulfill its obligation for the safe handling of radioactive materials while in the field. Recovery of the RTGs required overcoming several logistical hurdles. The Akademik Fedorov, which transported the RTGs back to the Russian Federation, required retrofits to accommodate the RTGs for safe and secure transport of radioactive material. The United States Project Team (USPT) inspected the vessel while it was in dry dock in Turku, Finland, being retrofitted with their design. Special sleds had to be designed to transport RTGs, as well as equipment for identifying crevasses in the glaciers, over the Antarctic packed snow and ice. Provision of adequate fuel supplies for the long trek to the interior of Antarctica to recover one of the RTGs also had to be addressed. With the successful recovery, repatriation, and disassembly of the RTGs, the Radioactive Heat Sources (RHSs) were extracted and dispositioned, thus eliminating any risk of these radioactive sources being used for terrorist purposes. Successful completion of the project also fulfilled the requirements of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty concerning the need to remove unused radioactive materials.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS2007

NASA's Potential Contributions for Using Solar Ultraviolet Radiation in Conjunction with Photocatalysis for Urban Air Pollution Mitigation

More than 75 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban communities where people are exposed to levels of smog or pollution that exceed the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) safety standards. Urban air quality presents a unique problem because of a number of complex variables, including traffic congestion, energy production, and energy consumption activities, all of which can contribute to and affect air pollution and air quality in this environment. In environmental engineering, photocatalysis is an area of research whose potential for environmental clean-up is rapidly developing popularity and success. Photocatalysis, a natural chemical process, is the acceleration of a photoreaction in the presence of a catalyst. Photocatalytic agents are activated when exposed to near UV (ultraviolet) light (320-400 nm) and water. In recent years, surfaces coated with photocatalytic materials have been extensively studied because pollutants on these surfaces will degrade when the surfaces are exposed to near UV light. Building materials, such as tiles, cement, glass, and aluminum sidings, can be coated with a thin film of a photocatalyst. These coated materials can then break down organic molecules, like air pollutants and smog precursors, into environmentally friendly compounds. These surfaces also exhibit a high affinity for water when exposed to UV light. Therefore, not only are the pollutants decomposed, but this superhydrophilic nature makes the surface self-cleaning, which helps to further increase the degradation rate by allowing rain and/or water to wash byproducts away. According to the Clean Air Act, each individual state is responsible for implementing prevention and regulatory programs to control air pollution. To operate an air quality program, states must adopt and/or develop a plan and obtain approval from the EPA. Federal approval provides a means for the EPA to maintain consistency among different state programs and ensures that they comply with the requirements of the Clean Air Act.

Ryan, robert E.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Pilot-Scale Modular Research Facility for Acidic Water Pollution Cleanup and Domestic Production of Critical Minerals for National Security

A recent study by Penn State researchers revealed that Pennsylvania AMD streams originate from abandoned mines, with coal refuse piles of the lower Kittanning coal seam containing the most valuable heavy rare earth elements. Penn State has developed a three-stage process to recover these critical minerals, tested it for proof of concept, and secured a patent. Funded by the US DOE, a modular pilot-scale research and development unit has been designed and built to process 1,000 gallons per day of AMD from a site managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP). The system will selectively recover iron, aluminum, rare earth elements, and cobalt-nickel-manganese concentrates from AMD, followed by a proprietary downstream purification process. These operations aim to produce concentrates of critical minerals while treating acid mine drainage to meet environmental standards and evaluate different feedstocks. This presentation will describe the design, operation, and innovations of the proposed process and pilot facility, emphasizing its role in promoting sustainable recovery of critical minerals from legacy waste streams.

Pisupati, Sarma V [Center for Critical Minerals, T↗
DOE OSTI2025

Review on Preprocessing Strategies, Deactivation, Thermal Safety, and Future Perspectives in Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling

The rapid growth in the use of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and renewable energy storage has made effective end-of-life management essential. Recycling LIBs is critical not only for resource recovery and environmental protection but also for ensuring safety and economic viability. This review focuses on the preprocessing technologies that precede typical recovery processes, including disassembly, sorting, discharging, electrolyte removal, dismantling, thermal treatment, separation, and flotation. These steps play a foundational role in determining the efficiency, safety, and environmental impact of LIB recycling. LIBs pose substantial fire and explosion risks due to residual charge, flammable electrolytes, and reactive materials. The conditions and successive progression of the exothermic reactions which lead to thermal runaway has been discussed. It also explores secure deactivation techniques such as external circuit discharge, saline immersion, and thermomechanical methods, alongside fire prevention strategies including the use of flame retardants, elimination of oxidants, and reduction of heat generation and accumulation. Challenges and future directions are outlined, highlighting the need for standardized designs, automation, and safer, more sustainable recycling infrastructure. Furthermore, this review is distinguished by its focused analysis of preprocessing and deactivation steps, with particular attention to the thermal safety engineering aspects of LIB recycling.

Battery deactivation↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Multivariate Dynamic Spatial Factor Model for Speciated Pollutants and Adverse Birth Outcomes

Evidence suggests that exposure to elevated concentrations of air pollution during pregnancy is associated with increased risks of birth defects and other adverse birth outcomes. While current regulations put limits on total PM2.5 concentrations, there are many speciated pollutants within this size class that likely have distinct effects on perinatal health. However, due to correlations between these speciated pollutants, it can be difficult to decipher their effects in a model for birth outcomes. To combat this difficulty, we develop a multivariate spatio-temporal Bayesian model for speciated particulate matter using dynamic spatial factors. These spatial factors can then be interpolated to the pregnant women’s homes to be used to model birth defects. The birth defect model allows the impact of pollutants to vary across different weeks of the pregnancy in order to identify susceptible periods. Here, the proposed methodology is illustrated using pollutant monitoring data from the Environmental Protection Agency and birth records from the National Birth Defect Prevention Study.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

OPERA models for predicting physicochemical properties and environmental fate endpoints

The collection of chemical structure information and associated experimental data for quantitative structure–activity/ property relationship (QSAR/QSPR) modeling is facilitated by an increasing number of public databases containing large amounts of useful data. However, the performance of QSAR models highly depends on the quality of the data and modeling methodology used. This study aims to develop robust QSAR/QSPR models for chemical properties of environmental interest that can be used for regulatory purposes. This study primarily uses data from the publicly available PHYSPROP database consisting of a set of 13 common physicochemical and environmental fate properties. These datasets have undergone extensive curation using an automated workflow to select only high-quality data, and the chemical structures were standardized prior to calculation of the molecular descriptors. The modeling procedure was developed based on the five Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) principles for QSAR models. A weighted k-nearest neighbor approach was adopted using a minimum number of required descriptors calculated using PaDEL, an open-source software. The genetic algorithms selected only the most pertinent and mechanistically interpretable descriptors (2–15, with an average of 11 descriptors). The sizes of the modeled datasets varied from 150 chemicals for biodegradability half-life to 14,050 chemicals for logP, with an average of 3222 chemicals across all endpoints. The optimal models were built on randomly selected training sets (75%) and validated using fivefold cross-validation (CV) and test sets (25%). The CV Q2 of the models varied from 0.72 to 0.95, with an average of 0.86 and an R2 test value from 0.71 to 0.96, with an average of 0.82. Modeling and performance details are described in QSAR model reporting format and were validated by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center to be OECD compliant. All models are freely available as an open-source, command-line application called OPEn structure–activity/property Relationship App (OPERA). OPERA models were applied to more than 750,000 chemicals to produce freely available predicted data on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s CompTox Chemistry Dashboard.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Marine Mammal Behavioral Response to Tidal Turbine Sound

The sound emitted by tidal turbines overlaps with the generalized hearing ranges for marine mammals and may, consequently, affect marine mammal behavior. Because of the strong environmental protections for marine mammals, these effects are of interest to resource agencies and project developers. The primary goal of this project is to improve the understanding of how sound emitted by tidal turbines may affect marine mammal behavior, with the intent that such understanding may allow this environmental risk to be “retired” for initial demonstrations and arrays. A secondary project goal is to evaluate the efficacy of marine mammal observations from a shore-based vantage point as a method to detect change as a consequence of marine energy stressors. Three, two-week trials were conducted across spring, summer and autumn of 2017 during which vantage-point observations of marine mammals were made from land. We refer to these two-week periods as ‘trials’ as they represent different periods of field data collection. These observations consisted of scan samples every 10 minutes with a set of binoculars and a DSLR camera. When pinnipeds were sighted, still images were taken. When harbor porpoise were sighted, focal follows using video were initiated. These data were later analyzed to estimate the location of animals sighted using photogrammetric techniques. For approximately half of each trial period, a boat was moored in the study area from which an underwater projector was used to play back tidal turbine sounds at a broadband source level of 158 dB re µPa @ 1 m. The other half of each trial period had no playbacks and was used as a control period. During the control and playback periods, ancillary data were collected in the study area near the sea floor (ambient noise, tidal velocity, and porpoise clicks) while weather and vessel tracks were recorded near the vantage-point station. Harbor seals did not show a significant response to the simulated turbine noise, nor did harbor porpoise change their closest point of approach or change the direction/deviation of the paths during periods when the playback was occurring. While porpoise sightings and porpoise acoustic detections were significantly reduced during playback periods in the first two trials, the number of detections during the playback periods increased during the third trial. Similarly, the calculated distance from porpoises to the playback location suggests that harbor porpoises avoided an area around the playback location of approximately 300 m during Trial 1, which decreased to approximately 100 m in Trial 2, and disappeared in Trial 3. This could be an indication of habituation or increased tolerance, either to the playback sound or the vessel presence. Our finding of no significant effect of turbine noise on harbor seals contrast with the findings in a previous study by Hastie et al. (2017) conducted in United Kingdom waters. However, due to substantive differences in source levels and propagation loss, seals in our study would need to have been within 10 m of the playback location to experience similar received levels to those in the Hastie et al. study. Consequently, the two studies may actually be in agreement. Our findings of significant effect of turbine noise on harbor porpoise are in line with previous studies suggesting the harbor porpoise are sensitive to noise. However, we note that, due to cost and logistical constraints, the playback vessel was only mooring during the playback periods. Consequently, we cannot definitively ascribe the changes in porpoise behavior to the simulated turbine noise, playback vessel presence, or a combination of both factors. This methodological limitation and other lessons learned are discussed to benefit future studies that explore the effects of acoustic stressors on marine mammals.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2016

Well Integrity for Natural Gas Storage in Depleted Reservoirs and Aquifers

Introduction Motivation The 2015-2016 Aliso Canyon/Porter Ranch natural gas well blowout emitted approximately 100,000 tonnes of natural gas (mostly methane, CH 4 ) over four months. The blowout impacted thousands of nearby residents, who were displaced from their homes. The high visibility of the event has led to increased scrutiny of the safety of natural gas storage at the Aliso Canyon facility, as well as broader concern for natural gas storage integrity throughout the country. Federal Review of Well Integrity In April of 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), announced the formation of a new Interagency Task Force on Natural Gas Storage Safety. The Task Force enlisted a group of scientists and engineers at the DOE National Laboratories to review the state of well integrity in natural gas storage in the U.S. The overarching objective of the review is to gather, analyze, catalogue, and disseminate information and findings that can lead to improved natural gas storage safety and security and thus reduce the risk of future events. The “Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016’’ or the ‘‘PIPES Act of 2016,’’which was signed into law on June 22, 2016, created an Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Leak Task Force led by the Secretary of Energy and consisting of representatives from the DOT, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Department of Commerce and the Department of Interior. The Task Force was asked to perform an analysis of the Aliso Canyon event and make recommendations on preventing similar incidents in the future. The PIPES Act also required that DOT/PHMSA promulgate minimum safety standards for underground storage that would take effect within two years. Background on the DOE National Laboratories Well Integrity Work Group One of the primary areas that the Task Force is studying is integrity of natural gas wells at storage facilities. The DOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE) took the lead in this area and asked scientists and engineers from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)) to form a Work Group to address this area. This Work Group is an expansion of the original “Lab Team” comprising scientists and engineers from SNL, LLNL, and LBNL which was formed to support the State of California’s response to the Aliso Canyon incident and operated under the Governor of California’s Aliso Canyon Emergency Order (1/6/2016). The Lab Team played a key role in advising the State of California’s Department of Conservation (DOC) in its oversight of SoCalGas during and after the incident.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantifying the Impact of Excluding the Submersion Exposure Route for Existing Superfund Radionuclide Screening Level Calculator Soil and Tap Water Models

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides initial data screening guidelines for radionuclide-contaminated Superfund sites using preliminary remediation goals (PRGs) and dose compliance concentrations (DCCs). PRGs and DCCs are target concentration values based on acceptable excess lifetime cancer risk and annual dose limits, respectively. They are calculated for various environmental media that may be encountered by residential and worker land uses. PRGs and DCCs typically consist of multiple exposure routes. One of these routes is submersion, which is exposure to a gaseous or particulate radionuclide that is suspended in air. Currently, submersion is only included in air calculations. This study focused on determining whether factoring submersion into total PRG/DCC calculations for soil and tap water created a significant difference in the target concentrations. New equations for individual submersion PRGs/DCCs for each land use of interest for soil and tap water were developed. A wind-driven particulate emission factor and Andelman’s constant were used to model the amount of soil and vapor in the air from soil and household use of tap water, respectively. The submersion PRG/DCC was then included in the total PRG/DCC for each radionuclide, followed by a percent difference comparison of the old and new totals to quantify the impact of the change. For total soil PRGs/DCCs, with and without submersion, the difference was less than 1 percent; however, many of the tap water radionuclides analyzed – including multiple radon and polonium isotopes – showed as high as a 200 percent difference.This technical memorandum (TM) presents recommendations for updates to current EPA guidelines for initial data screens of radionuclide contaminated tap water.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1997

An Interagency Study of Depainting Techniques

Many popular and widely used paint stripping products now contain methylene chloride as their active ingredient. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will critically curb the use of methylene chloride under an aerospace national emission standard for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) within the next 2-1/2 years. An effort is underway to identify and evaluate alternative depainting technologies emphasizing those believed to be both effective and environmentally benign. On behalf of the EPA and in cooperation with the U. S. Air Force (USAF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is conducting a technical assessment of nine alternative technologies (i.e.: chemical stripping, two CO2 blasting processes, FLASHJET(TM) coating removal, laser stripping, plastic media blasting, sodium bicarbonate wet stripping, high-pressure water stripping, and wheat starch blasting). These depainting processes represent five removal method categories, namely abrasive, impact, cryogenic, thermal, and/or molecular bonding dissociation. This paper discusses the test plan and parameters for this interagency study. Several thicknesses of clad and non-clad aluminum substrates were used to prepare test specimens, which have been cut, cleaned, painted, and environmentally aged. Each depainting process has been assigned a specimen lot, which is now undergoing an initial strip cycle. Metallurgical impacts will be determined after these specimens complete five cycles of preparation and stripping.

Cook, B.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Real-Time Measurements of Gas-Phase Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins Reveal Daily Changes in Gas-Particle Partitioning Controlled by Ambient Temperature

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are synthetic polychlorinated n-alkanes produced as mixtures of a range of C x Cl y H 2x–y+2 formulas. CPs have numerous industrial applications but are toxic, long-lived, and environmentally ubiquitous with environmental releases occurring throughout their production, use, and disposal. Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs, C 10–13 ) have been regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency since 2009 and by the Stockholm Convention since 2017. SCCP regulation is expected to cause increased production of medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs; C 14–17 ), which are currently under consideration for Stockholm Convention regulations. Thus, there is a need to improve the understanding of MCCP environmental transport, distribution, and fate. Existing measurements are limited in their spatial and temporal coverage. Measurements of CP atmospheric loading are particularly scarce. Historically, these measurements have required long sampling times, obscuring the temporal behavior of atmospheric CPs. We report real-time in situ measurements of 18 gas-phase MCCPs. These measurements were made in the United States Southern Great Plains with nitrate ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry (NO 3 –CIMS). Here, the estimated average lower-limit concentration of MCCPs is on the order of single-digit ng/m 3 . MCCP diel behavior is partially explained by gas-particle partitioning with implications for MCCP transport and lifetimes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Concrete Testing Case for Closure of Handford’s 241-C Underground Storage Tanks

Sixty percent of the nation's highly toxic and radioactive mixed wastes are stored at Hanford in 177 deteriorating underground storage tanks. To close or remove these storage tanks from service and place them in a condition that is protective of human health and the environment, the tanks must be physically stabilized to prevent subsidence once wastes have been retrieved. Remaining residual liquid waste in the tanks that cannot be removed must be solidified and the solid wastes encapsulated to meet the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and the State of Washington requirements. The Department of Energy has developed cementitious flowable concretes to restrict access and provide chemical stabilization for radionuclides. Formulation, laboratory, and field testing for application at Hanford began with flowable, self-leveling structural and non-structural fills. A slump flow equal to or greater than 610 mm, 0% bleed water, and 0.1% (by volume) shrinkage measurements were key parameters guiding reformulation efforts that resulted in highly flowable, self-consolidating concretes that met Hanford 241-C Tank closure short- and long-term regulatory and engineering performance requirements.

formula development↗
DOE OSTI2021

Energy Efficiency and Performance Evaluation of Self-Contained, Medium Temperature, Reach-In Refrigerated Display Cases

This project was part of an effort by Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) to evaluate the energy and peak demand saving potential of emerging technologies in the Chicago area. This document focuses on the assessment of energy-efficient, medium-temperature, self-contained refrigerated display cases utilizing environmentally friendly refrigerants. The results of this evaluation will be considered by CLEAResult to develop a new energy efficiency rebate measure for ComEd's incentive programs. This rebate measure will become an addition to the Technical Reference Manual (TRM). In 2016, the United Nations passed the Kigali Montreal Protocol Amendment which placed restrictions on certain types of refrigerants. In compliance with this amendment, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed a ban on the manufacture of refrigeration systems using hydrofluorocarbons including R134a starting in January 2020. Although the ban has halted manufacture, the EPA continues to allow the use of these refrigerants. Therefore, it is critical to provide incentives for replacing these refrigerants with other environmentally friendly and energy-efficient alternatives. The energy-efficient refrigerator cases evaluated here (referred to as EE Case A and B) contain environmentally-friendly refrigerants in compliance with the EPA hydrofluorocarbon ban. These consist of natural refrigerant propane (R290), and HFC drop-in hydrofluoroolefin R513a, respectively. These cases also contain other energy-efficient components including efficient lighting, more robust evaporator and condenser fans and different-sized heat exchangers. EE Case A is also built with materials that better insulate the case, which improves energy efficiency. To ascertain the energy efficiency contribution of these design components, the consumption of the evaporator and condenser fan motors, compressor, and lighting/controller were evaluated individually. The medium-temperature, self-contained reach-in refrigerated display case was selected due to its widespread use in convenience stores and small supermarkets. Self-contained refrigeration has also seen increased use in restaurants due to curbside pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this study, the refrigerated display cases' performance was evaluated in a controlled environmental chamber at representative indoor dry-bulb and humidity conditions found in supermarkets within ComEd's service territory climate zone. The test method used in this project was foundationally inspired by the ANSI/ASHRAE 72-2018 method of testing. However, modifications to the ANSI/ASHRAE test methodology were implemented to better represent customer operation of the units. In addition to the indoor supermarket conditions, the cases were also evaluated at the "upper target," or environmental conditions used in ANSI/ASHRAE 72-2018. The case total power and case components were metered to obtain their daily power (kW) and energy consumption(kWh). The cases were filled with thermal filler mass to replicate thermal mass of product loading. Additionally, product simulators were used to provide product temperature information. Door actuators were mounted to each of the cases' three doors to replicate regular door openings and effects of shopper traffic.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Performance Assessment of Low-GWP Refrigerated Reach-In Display Cases

This project is part of an effort by Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) to evaluate the energy and peak demand savings potential of emerging technologies in the Chicago area. This document focuses on the assessment of energy-efficient, medium-temperature, self-contained refrigerated display cases utilizing environmentally friendly refrigerants. The results of this evaluation will be considered by ComEd and CLEAResult to develop a new energy efficiency rebate measure for ComEd's incentive programs. This rebate measure will become an addition to the Technical Reference Manual. In 2016, the United Nations passed the Kigali Montreal Protocol Amendment, which placed restrictions on certain types of refrigerants. In compliance with this amendment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed a ban on the manufacture of refrigeration systems using hydrofluorocarbons including R134a starting in January 2020. Although the ban has halted manufacture, the EPA continues to allow the use of these refrigerants. Therefore, it is critical to provide incentives for replacing these refrigerants with other environmentally friendly and energy-efficient alternatives.

alternative refrigerants↗
DOE OSTI2024

Estimating geographic origins of corn and soybean biomass for biofuel production: A detailed dataset

Sustainable fuel initiatives in the United States such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Stan- dard and the Department of Energy’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge have increased the production of corn ethanol and soybean biodiesel. However, the lack of precise information regarding biomass sourcing at a localized level has hindered accurate understanding of both biofuel costs and environmental impact of these production pathways. By harnessing the power of geospatial analysis and leveraging United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop cen- sus data, this dataset fills this critical knowledge gap. This dataset offers a novel estimation of geospatial biomass sourc- ing for biofuel production in the United States by synthe- sizing 2017 USDA crop census data, biorefinery data from the United States Energy Information Administration, and publicly available information about biomass sourcing for biofuel production. This dataset provides a detailed under- standing of biomass use for first generation biofuel pro- duction, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions about resource allocation, investment strategies, and infras- tructure development. Furthermore, the county-level gran- ularity of the dataset allows for increased fidelity in the techno-economic assessments and life-cycle analyses of first- generation biofuels in the United States.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The influence of exploration activities of a potential lithium mine to the environment in Western Serbia

The proposed exploitation of the Jadar Valley lithium/borate deposit in Serbia, by the Rio Tinto Corporation, indicates that it would become large-scale processing of boron- and lithium-containing ore. It would be one of the world’s very first lithium mines in populated and agricultural area. The company claims that the envisioned mining will be in accordance with environmental protection requirements. The Jadar Valley deposits have been claimed to cover 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs. Yet, local opposition to the mining has arisen due to potential devastating impacts on groundwater, soil, water usage, biodiversity loss, and waste accumulation. Research drilling by the mining company has already produced environmental damage, with mine water containing high levels of boron leaking from exploratory wells and causing crops to dry out. Furthermore, our investigations reveal substantially elevated downstream concentrations of boron, arsenic, and lithium in nearby rivers as compared to upstream regions. Additionally, here we show that soil samples exhibit repeated breaches of remediation limit values with environmental consequences on both surface and underground waters. With the opening of the mine, problems will be multiplied by the tailings pond, mine wastewater, noise, air pollution, and light pollution, endangering the lives of numerous local communities and destroying their freshwater sources, agricultural land, livestock, and assets.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Subject Matter Expert Workshop for the Use of Municipal and Commercial Equipment for Radiological Response and Recovery: Argonne National Laboratory Workshop Summary Report

This report summarizes a workshop held in Argonne National Laboratory to identify the equipment and databases that support methods that might be available for emergency operations. Specifically, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Homeland Security identified a need to develop response and recovery guidance to mitigate the effects of a radiological or nuclear release that compromises recovery in an urban environment or at a critical infrastructure. The objective of this workshop was to discuss the experience of the first responder community and environmental remediation specialists to identify equipment and methods that may be used to accomplish various missions summarized under five broad support goals. This document summarizes the comments from the Argonne National Laboratory meeting. Based on the findings and input from a series of such workshops, we plan to develop “best practices” for use of equipment responding to and recovering from a wide-area radiological incident.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗