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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Two Catalysts for Selective Oxidation of Contaminant Gases

Two catalysts for the selective oxidation of trace amounts of contaminant gases in air have been developed for use aboard the International Space Station. These catalysts might also be useful for reducing concentrations of fumes in terrestrial industrial facilities especially facilities that use halocarbons as solvents, refrigerant liquids, and foaming agents, as well as facilities that generate or utilize ammonia. The first catalyst is of the supported-precious-metal type. This catalyst is highly active for the oxidation of halocarbons, hydrocarbons, and oxygenates at low concentrations in air. This catalyst is more active for the oxidation of hydrocarbons and halocarbons than are competing catalysts developed in recent years. This catalyst completely converts these airborne contaminant gases to carbon dioxide, water, and mineral acids that can be easily removed from the air, and does not make any chlorine gas in the process. The catalyst is thermally stable and is not poisoned by chlorine or fluorine atoms produced on its surface during the destruction of a halocarbon. In addition, the catalyst can selectively oxidize ammonia to nitrogen at a temperature between 200 and 260 C, without making nitrogen oxides, which are toxic. The temperature of 260 C is higher than the operational temperature of any other precious-metal catalyst that can selectively oxidize ammonia. The purpose of the platinum in this catalyst is to oxidize hydrocarbons and to ensure that the oxidation of halocarbons goes to completion. However, the platinum exhibits little or no activity for initiating the destruction of halocarbons. Instead, the attack on the halocarbons is initiated by the support. The support also provides a high surface area for exposure of the platinum. Moreover, the support resists deactivation or destruction by halogens released during the destruction of halocarbons. The second catalyst is of the supported- metal-oxide type. This catalyst can selectively oxidize ammonia to nitrogen at temperatures up to 400 C, without producing nitrogen oxides. This catalyst converts ammonia completely to nitrogen, even when the concentration of ammonia is very low. No other catalyst is known to oxidize ammonia selectively at such a high temperature and low concentration. Both the metal oxide and the support contribute to the activity and selectivity of this catalyst.

Wright, John D.↗
NASA NTRS2014

From Earth to Space: Application of Biological Treatment for the Removal of Ammonia from Water

Managing ammonia is often a challenge in both drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities. Ammonia is unregulated in drinking water, but its presence may result in numerous water quality issues in the distribution system such as loss of residual disinfectant, nitrification, and corrosion. Ammonia concentrations need to be managed in wastewater effluent to sustain the health of receiving water bodies. Biological treatment involves the microbiological oxidation of ammonia to nitrate through a two‐step process. While nitrification is common in the environment, and nitrifying bacteria can grow rapidly on filtration media, appropriate conditions, such as the presence of dissolved oxygen and required nutrients, need to be established. This presentation will highlight results from two ongoing research programs - one at NASA's Johnson Space Center, and the other at a drinking water facility in California. Both programs are designed to demonstrate nitrification through biological treatment. The objective of NASA's research is to be able to recycle wastewater to potable water for spaceflight mission. To this end, a biological water processor (BWP) has been integrated with a forward osmosis secondary treatment system (FOST). Bacteria mineralize organic carbon to carbon dioxide as well as ammonia‐nitrogen present in the wastewater to nitrogen gas, through a combination of nitrification and denitrification. The effluent from the BWP system is low in organic contaminants, but high in total dissolved solids. The FOST system, integrated downstream of the BWP, removes dissolved solids through a combination of concentration‐driven forward osmosis and pressure driven reverse osmosis. The integrated system testing planned for this year is expected to produce water that requires only a polishing step to meet potable water requirements for spaceflight. The pilot study in California is being conducted on Golden State Water Company's Yukon wellsthat have hydrogen sulfide odor, color, total organic carbon, bromide, iron and manganese in addition to ammonia. A treatment evaluation, conducted in 2011, recommended the testing of biological oxidation filtration for the removal of ammonia and production of biologically stable water. A 8‐month pilot testing program was conducted to develop and optimize key design and operational variables. Steadystate operational data was collected to demonstrate long‐term performance and inform California Department of Public Health permitting of the full‐scale process. As ammonia continues to present challenges to water and wastewater systems, innovative strategies such as biological treatment can be applied to successfully manage it. This presentation will discuss application of cutting‐age research being conducted by NASA that will bridge existing information gaps, and benefit municipal utilities.

Ghosh, Amlan↗
NASA NTRS2014

From Earth to Space: Application of Biological Treatment for the Removal of Ammonia from Water

Managing ammonia is often a challenge in both drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities. Ammonia is unregulated in drinking water, but its presence may result in numerous water quality issues in the distribution system such as loss of residual disinfectant, nitrification, and corrosion. Ammonia concentrations need to be managed in wastewater effluent to sustain the health of receiving water bodies. Biological treatment involves the microbiological oxidation of ammonia to nitrate through a two‐step process. While nitrification is common in the environment, and nitrifying bacteria can grow rapidly on filtration media, appropriate conditions, such as the presence of dissolved oxygen and required nutrients, need to be established. This presentation will highlight results from two ongoing research programs - one at NASA's Johnson Space Center, and the other at a drinking water facility in California. Both programs are designed to demonstrate nitrification through biological treatment. The objective of NASA's research is to be able to recycle wastewater to potable water for spaceflight missions. To this end, a biological water processor (BWP) has been integrated with a forward osmosis secondary treatment system (FOST). Bacteria mineralize organic carbon to carbon dioxide as well as ammonia‐nitrogen present in the wastewater to nitrogen gas, through a combination of nitrification and denitrification. The effluent from the BWP system is low in organic contaminants, but high in total dissolved solids. The FOST system, integrated downstream of the BWP, removes dissolved solids through a combination of concentration‐driven forward osmosis and pressure driven reverse osmosis. The integrated system testing planned for this year is expected to produce water that requires only a polishing step to meet potable water requirements for spaceflight. The pilot study in California is being conducted on Golden State Water Company's Yukon wells that have hydrogen sulfide odor, color, total organic carbon, bromide, iron and manganese in addition to ammonia. A treatment evaluation, conducted in 2011, recommended the testing of biological oxidation filtration for the removal of ammonia and production of biologically stable water. An 8‐month pilot testing program was conducted to develop and optimize key design and operational variables. Steadystate operational data was collected to demonstrate long‐term performance and inform California Department of Public Health permitting of the full‐scale process. As ammonia continues to present challenges to water and wastewater systems, innovative strategies such as biological treatment can be applied to successfully manage it. This presentation will discuss application of cutting‐age research being conducted by NASA that will bridge existing information gaps, and benefit municipal utilities.

Pickering, Karen↗
DOE OSTI2024

Abstract for CRADA between National Energy Technology Laboratory and Carbon To Stone, Inc.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Carbon To Stone (CTS), Inc. (Participant) will collaborate on a techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of CTS’s carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology under an awarded project from the Department of Energy’s Direct Air Capture Pre-Commercialization Technology Prize. CTS has developed a technological platform that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from air and mineralizes it into durable carbonates using alkaline industrial residues such as steel slag and mine tailings. In addition, CTS’s technology uses electrochemistry to recover value-added energy critical metals (ECMs) from these residues. NETL has expertise in CDR TEA and LCA development. The collaboration between CTS and NETL aims to quantify the performance, cost and lifecycle impacts of CTS’s technology and produce LCA and TEA models that can accelerate development and deployment of this technology.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2010

[Characterization of Black and Dichothrix Cyanobacteria Based on the 16S Ribosomal RNA Gene Sequence]

My project focuses on characterizing different cyanobacteria in thrombolitic mats found on the island of Highborn Cay, Bahamas. Thrombolites are interesting ecosystems because of the ability of bacteria in these mats to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and mineralize it as calcium carbonate. In the future they may be used as models to develop carbon sequestration technologies, which could be used as part of regenerative life systems in space. These thrombolitic communities are also significant because of their similarities to early communities of life on Earth. I targeted two cyanobacteria in my research, Dichothrix spp. and whatever black is, since they are believed to be important to carbon sequestration in these thrombolitic mats. The goal of my summer research project was to molecularly identify these two cyanobacteria. DNA was isolated from each organism through mat dissections and DNA extractions. I ran Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) to amplify the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene in each cyanobacteria. This specific gene is found in almost all bacteria and is highly conserved, meaning any changes in the sequence are most likely due to evolution. As a result, the 16S rRNA gene can be used for bacterial identification of different species based on the sequence of their 16S rRNA gene. Since the exact sequence of the Dichothrix gene was unknown, I designed different primers that flanked the gene based on the known sequences from other taxonomically similar cyanobacteria. Once the 16S rRNA gene was amplified, I cloned the gene into specialized Escherichia coli cells and sent the gene products for sequencing. Once the sequence is obtained, it will be added to a genetic database for future reference to and classification of other Dichothrix sp.

Ortega, Maya↗
DOE OSTI2025

Biogenic carbon capture at pulp mills via sodium spiking and oxy-fuel calcination

Over 13 million metric tons of biogenic carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) are mineralized yearly in United States (US) pulp mill recovery boilers as molten sodium carbonate. The mineralized CO 2 is released downstream in the rotary lime kiln where it can be captured at a relatively low cost for permanent sequestration. The use of biocarbon and bioenergy at pulp mills enables the possibility for atmospheric carbon removal when biogenic CO2 is captured and sequestered. We demonstrate the feasibility of capturing biogenic CO 2 via sodium spiking coupled with oxy-fuel calcination in the rotary lime kiln at existing kraft pulp mills. Sodium (Na) spiking elevates the Na ion loading in the kraft chemical looping process by replacing chlorine-based bleaching with a highly alkaline bleaching sequence. Chemical pulping processes are modeled and simulated to understand the technical limits of implementing sodium spiking in existing pulp mills. Each 1 % of sodium added to the bleaching operations increases the rate of CO 2 mineralization by 4 %, and the maximum increase in sodium content in the kraft process is 9 %. Without sodium spiking, estimated CO 2 capture costs are $131 and $107/mt CO 2 for air and oxy-fuel combustion, respectively. With the implementation of sodium spiking, the cost of CO 2 captured decreases by 27 % and 31 %, showing costs of $96 and $74/mt CO 2 for air and oxy-fuel combustion, respectively. Oxy-fuel combustion reduces the costs of CO 2 capture compared to air combustion, but merged deployment with sodium spiking seems to be the most cost-effective pathway to integrate carbon capture.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Effect of multiple calcination cycles on CO 2 capture efficiency during carbonation of MgO in a mineral looping process

Magnesium oxide (MgO) is considered as a potential sorbent for direct air capture of carbon dioxide in a looping process. Previous research on mineral looping for carbon capture from flue gas using MgO has shown deactivation of the sorbent with repeated cycles but repeated cycling for carbonation at ambient conditions has not been yet investigated. Here, we tested three cycles of carbonation for MgO nano-scale powders with different starting surface area. We find that carbonation efficiency is higher at higher surface area. No decrease in carbonation efficiency was observed with cycling, instead we find that carbonation efficiency and surface area are stable or even increasing with cycling. Based on our experimental data, we hypothesize that the carbonation in presence of relative humidity leads to first hydration of MgO, leading to formation of brucite (Mg(OH) 2 ). This formation of Mg(OH) 2 is a volume-increasing reaction, which leads to fracturing of MgO particles and results in an increase in surface area. We observed formation of amorphous and crystalline hydrated carbonates. The crystalline phase observed was nesquehonite (MgCO 3 ⋅ 3H 2 O). Our results show that MgO does not show any deactivation with repeated cycling for carbon capture at ambient conditions and in the presence of humidity. These findings therefore indicate that MgO is a suitable candidate as sorbent material for direct air capture of carbon dioxide.

Ambient weathering↗
NASA NTRS1991

Analysis of minerals containing dissolved traces of the fluid phase components water and carbon dioxide

Substantial progress has been made towards a better understanding of the dissolution of common gas/fluid phase components, notably H2O and CO2, in minerals. It has been shown that the dissolution mechanisms are significantly more complex than currently believed. By judiciously combining various solid state analytical techniques, convincing evidence was obtained that traces of dissolved gas/fluid phase components undergo, at least in part, a redox conversion by which they split into reduced H2 and and reduced C on one hand and oxidized oxygen, O(-), on the other. Analysis for 2 and C as well as for any organic molecules which may form during the process of co-segregation are still impeded by the omnipresent danger of extraneous contamination. However, the presence of O(-), an unusual oxidized form of oxygen, has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The presence of O(-) testifies to the fact that a redox reaction must have taken place in the solid state involving the dissolved traces of gas/fluid phase components. Detailed information on the techniques used and the results obtained are given.

Freund, Friedemann↗
DOE OSTI2021

Assessing the Relative Climate Impact of Carbon Utilization for Concrete, Chemical, and Mineral Production

Estimates show that 6.2 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) can be captured and utilized across three pathways, concrete, chemical, and minerals, by 2050. However, it is difficult to compare the climate benefit across these three carbon capture and utilization (CCU) pathways to determine the most effective use of captured CO2. The life cycle assessment methods to evaluate the climate benefit of CCU chemicals should additionally account for the change in material properties of concrete due to CO2 utilization. Furthermore, with most CO2 utilization technologies being in the early stages of research and development, the uncertainty and variability in process and inventory data present a significant challenge in evaluating the climate benefit. We present a stochastically determined climate return on investment (ROI) metric to rank and prioritize CO2 utilization across 20 concrete, chemical and mineral pathways based on the realized climate benefit. We show that two concrete pathways, which use CO2 during concrete mixing, and two chemical pathways, which produce formic acid through hydrogenation of CO2 and carbon monoxide through dry reforming of methane, generate the greatest climate ROI and are the only CCU pathways with a higher likelihood of generating a climate benefit than a climate burden.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS2016

Constraining Hesperian martian PCO2 from mineral analysis at Gale crater

Carbon dioxide is an essential atmospheric component in martian climate models that attempt to reconcile a faint young sun with planet-wide evidence of liquid water at the planets surface in the Noachian and Early Hesperian. Current estimates of ancient martian CO2 levels, derived from global inventories of carbon, and orbital detections of Noachian and Early Hesperian clay mineral-bearing terrains indicate CO2 levels that are unable to support warm and wet conditions. These estimates are subject to various sources of uncertainty however. Mineral and contextual sedimentary environmental data collected by the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity in Gale Crater provide a more direct means of estimating the atmospheric partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) coinciding with a long-lived lake system in Gale crater at ~3.5 Ga. Results from a reaction-transport model, which simulates mineralogy observed within the Sheepbed member at Yellowknife Bay by coupling mineral equilibria with carbonate precipitation kinetics and rates of sedimentation, indicate atmospheric PCO2 levels in the 10’s mbar range. At such low PCO2 levels, climate models are unable to warm Hesperian Mars anywhere near the freezing point of water and other gases are required to raise atmospheric pressure to prevent lakes from boiling away. Thus, lacustrine features of Gale formed in a cold environment by a mechanism yet to be determined, or the climate models still lack an essential component that would serve to elevate surface temperatures, at least temporally and/or locally, on Hesperian Mars. Our results also impose restrictions on the potential role of atmospheric CO2 in inferred warmer conditions of the Noachian.

Bristow, T. F.↗
NASA NTRS2016

P21C-2113: Constraining Hesperian Martian PCO2 from Mineral Analysis at Gale Crater

Carbon dioxide is an essential atmospheric component in martian climate models that attempt to reconcile a faint young sun with widespread evidence of liquid water at the planet's surface in the Noachian and Early Hesperian. Current estimates of ancient martian CO levels, derived from global inventories of carbon, and orbital detections of Noachian and Early Hesperian clay mineralbearing terrains indicate CO levels that are unable to support warm and wet conditions. These estimates are subject to various sources of uncertainty however. Mineral and contextual sedimentary environmental data collected by the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity in Gale Crater provide a more direct means of estimating the atmospheric partial pressure of CO (P ) coinciding with a long-lived lake system in Gale crater at approximately 3.5 Ga. Results from a reaction transport model, which simulates mineralogy observed within the Sheepbed member at Yellowknife Bay by coupling mineral equilibria with carbonate precipitation kinetics and rates of sedimentation, indicate atmospheric levels in the 10's mbar range. At such low P levels, climate models are unable to warm Hesperian Mars anywhere near the freezing point of water and other gases are required to raise atmospheric pressure to prevent lakes from boiling away. Thus, lacustrine features of Gale formed in a cold environment by a mechanism yet to be determined, or the climate models lack an essential component that would serve to elevate surface temperatures, at least temporally and/or locally, on Hesperian Mars. Our results also impose restrictions on the potential role of atmospheric CO in inferred warmer conditions of the Noachian.

Bristow, Thomas↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mechanistic understanding of carbon mineralization in fracture systems using microfluidics

Carbon mineralization in mafic and ultramafic rocks presents an opportunity for permanent carbon storage in the Earth's subsurface. However, due to their lower permeability, pre-existing fracture networks are key for mineralization to occur. Therefore, to fully develop this technology, a mechanistic understanding of the mineralization behavior in fractures with the consideration of hydrodynamic components is required. We use high-pressure microfluidics to investigate key mechanisms influencing dissolution–precipitation in a fracture network. The experiments were conducted in micromodels made of natural rocks with a comb-shaped flow channel to mimic a fracture network. This enabled studying the effect of injection rate on coupled dissolution–precipitation in advection and diffusion-dominated flow paths. We used gypsum carbonation as an analog reaction to allow for realistic experimental time frames due to its rapid reaction kinetics. The experimental work is coupled with high-fidelity numerical simulations to enhance our understanding of the parameters affecting the mineralization reaction. Our results demonstrate the importance of flow rate on the rate and nature of the gypsum carbonation reaction revealing that higher flow rates enable deeper penetration of the mineral precipitation front into the dead-end channels. This is an important finding since for sustained mineralization in a fracture network, precipitation in dead-ends while still allowing for flowing fractures is critical. Detailed characterization of the precipitates showed that lower flow rates led to porous and loose precipitates in the form of aragonite while higher flow rates mimicked supersaturation behavior leading to the formation of calcite. The reactive transport simulations further demonstrated the significance of flow velocity in advection-dominated channels to influence the efficiency of carbon mineralization in diffusion-dominated channels, potentially clogging of dead-end channels. These findings highlight the need for coupling chemical, mechanical, and hydrodynamic processes to evaluate the nature and extent of carbon mineralization in fractured media critical for permanent storage in mafic and ultramafic formations. This research further highlights the need for more investigation in potential subsurface fracture generation techniques to aid carbon mineralization.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1984

Comments on the BLAG model: the carbonate-silicate geochemical cycle and its effect on atmospheric carbon dioxide over the past 100 million years

A self-consistent method of determining initial conditions for the model presented by Berner, Lasaga, and Garrels (1983) (henceforth, the BLAG model) is derived, based on the assumption that the CO2 geochemical cycle was in steady state at t = -100 my (million years). This initialization procedure leads to a dissolved magnesium concentration higher than that calculated by Berner, Lasaga, and Garrels and to a low ratio of dissolved calcium to bicarbonate prior to 60 my ago. The latter prediction conflicts with the geologic record of evaporite deposits, which requires that this ratio remain greater than 0.5. The contradiction is probably caused by oversimplifications in the BLAG model, such as the neglect of the cycles of organic carbon and sulfur.

Evolution, Planetary↗
NASA NTRS1992

Scenarios for optimizing potato productivity in a lunar CELSS

The use of controlled ecological life support system (CELSS) in the development and growth of large-scale bases on the Moon will reduce the expense of supplying life support materials from Earth. Such systems would use plants to produce food and oxygen, remove carbon dioxide, and recycle water and minerals. In a lunar CELSS, several factors are likely to be limiting to plant productivity, including the availability of growing area, electrical power, and lamp/ballast weight for lighting systems. Several management scenarios are outlined in this discussion for the production of potatoes based on their response to irradiance, photoperiod, and carbon dioxide concentration. Management scenarios that use 12-hr photoperiods, high carbon dioxide concentrations, and movable lamp banks to alternately irradiate halves of the growing area appear to be the most efficient in terms of growing area, electrical power, and lamp weights. However, the optimal scenario will be dependent upon the relative 'costs' of each factor.

Wheeler, R. M.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Interfacial Hydrophilicity Controls Mineral Transformation Outcomes for Enstatite and Amorphous MgSiO 3

Subsurface injection of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into mafic-ultramafic rocks for permanent storage via mineralization is being studied to reduce emissions. Here, we investigated the carbonation products of enstatite (MgSiO 3 ) to assess its efficiency in sequestering CO 2 for safe and permanent storage as carbonate minerals. This was accomplished by conducting variable temperature carbonation reactions with samples of differing crystallinities and surface chemistries. Reaction progress was monitored utilizing in situ X-ray diffraction, and the presence of carbonate products was confirmed using additional techniques, such as thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry. Our results show that crystalline enstatite produces small amounts of the anhydrous form of MgCO 3 (magnesite), while amorphous MgSiO 3 , which was used to simulate mafic glass, more readily converts to the hydrated/hydroxylated hydromagnesite [Mg 5 (CO 3 ) 4 (OH) 2 ·4H 2 O]. These results, supplemented with dynamic vapor sorption experiments, suggest that surface properties play a significant role in the pathway and degree of carbonation. These developments concerning the reactivity of CO 2 with reactive mafic phases will help further our understanding of the reactivity of these mafic-ultramafic minerals with implications for permanent carbon storage and other subsurface engineering scenarios involving reactive reservoirs.

basalt↗
DOE OSTI2022

Exotic Carbonate Mineralization Recovered from a Deep Basalt Carbon Storage Demonstration

Mitigating climate change require transformational advances for carbon dioxide removal, including geologic carbon sequestration in reactive subsurface environments. The Wallula Basalt Carbon Storage Pilot Project demonstrated that CO 2 injected into >800 m deep Columbia River Basalt Group flow top reservoirs mineralizes on month-year timescales. Herein, we present new optical petrography, micro-computed X-ray tomography, and electron microscopy results sidewall cores collected two years after CO 2 injection. As no other anthropogenic carbonates from geologic carbon storage field studies have been recovered, this world-unique sample suite provides unparalleled insight for subsurface carbon mineralization products and paragenesis. Chemically-zoned nodules with Ca/Mn-rich cores and Fe-dominant outer rims are prominent examples of the neoformed carbonate assemblages with ankerite-siderite compositions and exotic divalent cation correlations. Further, paragenetic insights for the timing of aragonite, silica, and fibrous zeolites are clarified based on mineral texture and spatial relationships, along with time-resolved downhole fluid sampling. Collectively, these results clarify the mineralogy, chemistry, and paragenesis of carbon mineralization, providing insight into the ultimate fate and transport of CO 2 in reactive mafic-ultramafic reservoirs

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗