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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

CarbStor: Development, Analysis and Modification of Carbon Storing Model Soil Communities

Soil microbial communities carry out a number of key processes including plant growth promotion, bioremediation and cycling of nutrients. Carbon cycling is among the most important of these nutrients that are metabolized and processed by the soil microbial community. Many of the carbon inputs are converted to alternative organic forms of carbon that can be used by plants or act as biomass for microbial growth. However, inorganic forms of carbon can also be produced by soil microbial communities including calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). Production of calcium carbonate is beneficial for the ecosystem in several ways: it can stabilize soils and improve soil health, especially denser soils with high clay content, it can act as a method of bioremediation, it can serve as an alternative carbon source for plants and it can be a way to store carbon in soil in a stable, inorganic manner for the long term. While the chemistry surrounding individual species carrying out this process is well known what is lacking is an understanding of how species interact in a community to drive carbonate production. As all microbial species in soil exist in a community setting gaining this knowledge is critical to our predicting and controlling this microbial phenotype to greatly improve soil health. The CarbStor project is focused on developing, analyzing and modifying defined microbial soil consortia that express phenotypes at both the species and community level to convert carbon into recalcitrant stable sources such as precipitated carbonate or microbial necromass. To take full advantage of the soil community for this process we will need to fill several key knowledge gaps (KG), three of which are the focus of CarbStor. KG1: Whether and to what degree microbial communities can be developed that produce precipitated carbon via microbial metabolism. KG2: What interspecies interactions drive the individual member phenotypes in defined communities that lead to carbon precipitation. KG3: How can these interactions be modified to enhance carbon sequestration beyond what native communities are capable of. We hypothesize that in a carbon sequestering community only a subset of species will express phenotypes related to carbon storage processes. We also hypothesize that these phenotypes are expressed as a result of interactions with other species in the community that are not involved in carbon storage processes and that these interactions can be harnessed to enhance community carbon sequestration.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

How Much Blue Carbon do Hudson Estuary Marshes Sequester? A Full-Depth Carbon Stock Estimation of Iona Marsh, Lower Hudson, NY

Tidal marshes function as a key ecosystem, by serving as nurseries, improving water quality, protecting biodiversity, preventing erosion of coastlines, and preserving archives of paleoclimate and paleoecology. In the last few decades, researchers have come to appreciate coastal marshes’ carbon sequestration function. However, full peat depth is required for estimating the true carbon content of marshes, and very little research has been done to discover the full peat depth along coastlines. We selected Iona Marsh (73°58’44.972”W, 41°18’6.366”N), situated adjacent to Bear Mountain Park and part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve, to document the belowground storage of blue carbon. In order to calculate marsh volume, three full-depth transects were performed from 2020 to 2022, two from east to west in different regions of the marsh, and one from north to south at a minimum of 10 m intervals. We found that marsh depth ranged from 5.1 m to 13.2 m. We calculated marsh volume from the full peat depth and marsh area, obtained through the National Wetlands Inventory database, by applying the average marsh depth over its entire surface area. In order to calculate carbon content, we extracted a 9m sediment core and used loss-on-ignition (LOI) to determine organic matter, then estimate carbon content as half of the organic matter. We used 198 LOI samples to calculate the carbon, which formed at this site over 6000 years ago. We intend to apply this methodology framework to other marshes in the Hudson region. Because many previous carbon stock estimates only account for the top 1 m of peat, the role of these ecosystems in carbon sequestration is significantly underestimated. By determining the full-depth carbon stock of these marshes, we hope to emphasize the value of marshes to the community, beyond what is traditionally recognized, particularly in light of sea level rise and the vulnerability of marshes to erosion.

Tidal marshes↗
DOE OSTI2026

Persistence and potential of soil organic carbon in nature‐based climate solutions: A review of managed disturbances

Societal Impact Statement Implementing nature-based climate solutions is important for mitigating climate change, which is a global issue, but requires local adjustments in management practices. Using the association between soil carbon and minerals as a proxy for carbon persistence, we evaluated the effect of different management regimes on soil carbon sequestration and loss. We identified areas where management practices that increase carbon inputs should be prioritized and areas where management should focus on avoiding severe disturbances. Using this storage-potential-and-persistence framework to identify how to increase or maintain soil organic carbon storage locally will increase the effectiveness of nature-based climate solutions globally. Summary Increasing soil organic carbon storage could reduce the pace of climate change, but the longevity of this nature-based climate solution depends on the persistence of carbon in soils, not just the input rates into soils. We apply a framework for considering how soil carbon persistence—namely, via the association with minerals—sheds light on soil carbon sequestration. We review how management of disturbances, such as prescribed burning, forestry, and grazing, can change soil carbon storage, persistence, and potential. Past work demonstrated that management of disturbances can sequester soil carbon, but it remains unclear how the potential stabilization of that accrual and vulnerability to loss varies across disturbance types and geographies. We found that there is substantial geographical heterogeneity in the overlap among estimates of carbon accrual, disturbance occurrence, and potential stabilization: Fire-prone grasslands and intensively grazed rangelands occur in areas estimated to have high potential to store mineral-associated organic carbon, and studies also find that adjusted fire and grazing can promote mineral-associated organic carbon. Plantation forestry and burned area span large regions where particulate organic matter is the dominant form, and studies find that particulate organic carbon is disproportionately lost following intense wildfires and forest harvests. Thus, areas with high mineral-associated organic carbon deficits should be prioritized for practices that increase carbon inputs; whereas areas with high proportions of particulate organic carbon should be prioritized for practices that help to avoid severe disturbances. Taken together, the distribution of and changes in persistence mechanisms shed light on the durability of nature-based climate solutions.

fire↗
NASA NTRS2024

Biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage

Natural ecosystems store large amounts of carbon globally, as organisms absorb carbon from the atmosphere to build large, long-lasting, or slow-decaying structures such as tree bark or root systems. An ecosystem’s carbon sequestration potential is tightly linked to its biological diversity. Yet when considering future projections, many carbon sequestration models fail to account for the role biodiversity plays in carbon storage. Here, we assess the consequences of plant biodiversity loss for carbon storage under multiple climate and land-use change scenarios. We link a macroecological model projecting changes in vascular plant richness under different scenarios with empirical data on relationships between biodiversity and biomass. We find that biodiversity declines from climate and land use change could lead to a global loss of between 7.44-103.14 PgC (global sustainability scenario) and 10.87-145.95 PgC (fossil-fueled development scenario). This indicates a self-reinforcing feedback loop, where higher levels of climate change lead to greater biodiversity loss, which in turn leads to greater carbon emissions and ultimately more climate change. Conversely, biodiversity conservation and restoration can help achieve climate change mitigation goals.

Biodiversity↗
NASA NTRS2012

Using Pyrolysis and its Bioproducts to Help Close the Loop in Sustainable Life Support Systems

The next step in human exploration of space is beyond low Earth orbit and possibly to sites such as the Moon and Mars. Resupply of critical life support components for missions such as these are difficult or impossible. Life support processes for closing the loop of water, oxygen and carbon have to be identified .. Currently, there are many technologies proposed for terrestrial missions for waste, water, air processing and the creation of consumables. There are a variety of different approaches, but few address all of these issues simultaneously. One candidate is pyrolysis; a method where waste streams can be heated in the absence of oxygen to undergo a thermochemical conversion producing a series of bioproducts. Bioproducts like biochar made from non-edible biomass and human solid waste can possibly provide valuable benefits such as waste reduction, regolith fertilization for increased food production, and become a consumable for water processing and air revitalization systems. Syngas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and c~bon dioxide, can be converted to methane and dimethyl ether to create propellants. Bio-oils can be utilized as a heating fuel or fed to bioreactors that utilize oil-eating microbes. Issues such as carbon sequestration and subsequent carbon balance of the closed system and identifying ideal process methods to achieve the highest quality products, whilst being energy friendly, will also be addressed.

McCoy, LaShelle E.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Impacts of photovoltaic solar energy on soil carbon: A global systematic review and framework

Globally, solar energy is anticipated to be the primary source of electricity as early as 2050, and the greatest additions in capacity are currently in the form of large, ground-mounted photovoltaic solar energy facilities (GPVs). Growing interest lies in understanding and anticipating opportunities to increase soil carbon sequestration across the footprint and perimeter of both conventional and multi-use GPVs (e.g., ecovoltaics, agrivoltaics, and rangevolatics), especially as operators increasingly deputize as land managers. To date, studies on the relationship between soils and PV solar energy are limited to unique, localized sites. This study employed a systematic review to (i) identify a global corpus of 18 studies on interactions between GPVs and soils, (ii) collect and characterize 113 soil and soil-related experimental variables interacting with GPVs from this corpus, and (iii) synthesize trends among these experimental variables. Next, this study combined data from the systematic review with an iterative, knowledge co-production approach to produce a conceptual model for the study of soil and GPV interactions that applies to multiple installation types, scales, and contexts where GPVs are deployed, and identified research opportunities, threats, and priorities. This study's baseline understanding, conceptual model, and co-produced knowledge confer unique insight into the feasibility of combining soil carbon sequestration with the climate change mitigation potential of PV solar energy.

agrivoltaics↗
DOE OSTI2025

The hidden influence of terrestrial groundwater on salt marsh function and resilience

Salt marshes are hotspots of nutrient processing and carbon sequestration. So far, studies addressing spatiotemporal variability in and drivers of salt marsh biogeochemical function, carbon storage and resilience have focused on ocean-driven surface hydrologic influences, neglecting effects of terrestrial hydrology through subsurface connections. Here we evaluate drivers of salt marsh redox potential, a proxy for biogeochemical state, through wavelet analyses and information theory using data from seven marshes. The results point to terrestrial groundwater level as a dominant control on redox variability across all sites. Because redox is a key driver of biogeochemical processes, and specifically oxidation of organic matter that sequesters carbon and maintains marsh elevation, these terrestrial influences are critical to understanding marsh function and evolution. Further, the newly identified links between onshore groundwater levels and marsh redox conditions shift the traditional paradigm and suggest that terrestrial hydrology is a primary control on salt marsh carbon sequestration potential and resilience.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2002

Controls on Variations of Surface Energy, Water, and Carbon Budgets within Large-Scale Amazon Basin

A key research focus of the LBA Research Program is understanding the space-time variations in interlinked surface energy, water, and carbon budgets, the controls on these variations, and the implications of these controls on the carbon sequestering capacity of the large scale forest-pasture system that dominates the Amaz6nia landscape. Quantification of these variations and controls are investigated by a combination of in situ measurements, remotely sensed measurements from space, and a realistically forced hydrometeorological model coupled to a carbon assimilation model, capable of simulating details within the surface energy and water budgets along with the principle processes of photosynthesis and respiration. Herein we describe the results of an investigation concerning the space-time controls of carbon sources and sinks distributed over the large scale Amazon basin. The results are derived from a carbon-water-energy budget retrieval system for the large scale Amazon basin, which uses a coupled carbon assimilation-hydrometeorological model as an integrating system, forced by both in situ meteorological measurements and remotely sensed radiation and precipitation fluxes obtained from a combination of GOES, SSM/I, TOMS, and TRh4M satellite measurements. Results include validation of (a) retrieved surface radiation and precipitation fluxes based on 30-min averaged surface measurements taken at Ji-Parani in Rondania and Manaus in Amazonas, and (b) modeled sensible, latent, and C02 fluxes based on tower measurements taken at Reserva Jaru, Manaus and Fazenda Nossa Senhora. The space-time controls on carbon sequestration are partitioned into sets of factors classified by: (1) above canopy meteorology, (2) incoming surface radiation, (3) precipitation interception, and (4) indigenous stomatal processes varied over the different land covers of pristine rainforest, partially, and fully logged rainforests, and pasture lands. These are the principle meteorological, thermodynamical, hydrological, and biophysical control paths which perturb net carbon fluxes and sequestration, produce time-space switching of carbon sources and sinks, undergo modulation through atmospheric boundary layer feedbacks, and respond to any discontinuous intervention on the landscape itself such as produced by human intervention in converting rainforest to pasture or conducting selective/clearcut logging operations. The results demonstrate how relative carbon sequestration capacity of the Amazonian ecosystem responds to these controls, and how interpretation of space-time heterogeneities in carbon sequestration depends on a fairly exact quantification of the interacting non-linear properties of photosynthesis in response to incoming solar flux, air-canopy temperatures, and leaf water interception -- and soil respiration in response to upper layer soil temperature and water content. The results also show how the interpretation of the control processes is highly sensitive to the scales at which the surface fluxes are analyzed.

Smith, Eric A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dated soil C–N–P profiles, water quality, and chamber fluxes across Ohio and Michigan wetlands (2024–2025)

This dataset includes dated soil core chemistry (bulk density, phosphorus, nitrogen and carbon concentrations), water quality, and chamber flux measurements collected from wetlands in the Midwest United States—12 sites in Ohio, one site in Indiana, one site in Michigan—collected in the spring or summer of 2024 or 2025, all in (.csv) format. These data were generated to examine how wetland restoration, management activities, and time since restoration affect biogeochemical processes, carbon sequestration, nutrient accumulation, water quality, and greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, these data aim to investigate how restored wetlands differ from natural wetlands in terms of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus dynamics, as well as carbon dioxide and methane fluxes. Also included are surface and porewater quality parameters and chamber flux measurements across these different wetlands. Sampling was conducted at various sites representing a range of restoration stages, from about 4 years post-restoration up to 105 years post-restoration, and also includes a natural wetland used as a reference in Michigan. These data can be used to determine carbon sequestration rates, nutrient cycling, and to enhance our understanding of biogeochemical responses to wetland restoration in temperate ecosystems. This data package contains (1) a csv file (Water_Quality.csv) containing water quality data (dissolved organic carbon, total dissolved nitrogen, and temperature) organized by location; (2) a csv file (Soil_C_N_P_Seq.csv) containing carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations at each soil level and time of each soil level, as well as their sequestration rates; (3) a csv file (CH4_CO2_Flux.csv) including methane and carbon dioxide fluxes that were measured with a chamber; (4) a file-level metadata (FLMD.csv) file that lists each file contained in the dataset with associated metadata; (5) a data dictionary (DD.csv) file that contains terms/column headers used throughout the files along with a definition, units, and data type; and (6) a locations metadata file (Location_metadata.csv).

Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spray Manufacturing Thermal Insulation Composites

Cellulose-based thermal insulation materials present significant potential for modern green building applications due to their inherent carbon sequestration properties. However, traditional manufacturing of composites often results in the limited thermal insulation performance and embodied carbon footprint due to an increased density from material shrinkage and higher energy consumption during the water-based slurry drying process. Here, we report solvent spraying coupled with dry powder feedstock to manufacture highly porous silica/straw insulation composites. The manufactured composite exhibits negligible shrinkage with the density of 0.08 g/cm 3 , thermal conductivity of 27.8 mW/(m·K), flexural modulus of 3.1 MPa, and compressive modulus of 0.89 MPa. Additionally, the prepared composite demonstrates fire retardancy (burning rate of 0.5 mm/min) and recyclability (99%). Furthermore, this solvent-spraying strategy opens up opportunities of energy-efficient insulation materials for carbon-sequestration building sectors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2013

Differential Muon Tomography to Continuously Monitor Changes in the Composition of Subsurface Fluids

Muon tomography has been used to seek hidden chambers in Egyptian pyramids and image subsurface features in volcanoes. It seemed likely that it could be used to image injected, supercritical carbon dioxide as it is emplaced in porous geological structures being used for carbon sequestration, and also to check on subsequent leakage. It should work equally well in any other application where there are two fluids of different densities, such as water and oil, or carbon dioxide and heavy oil in oil reservoirs. Continuous monitoring of movement of oil and/or flood fluid during enhanced oil recovery activities for managing injection is important for economic reasons. Checking on leakage for geological carbon storage is essential both for safety and for economic purposes. Current technology (for example, repeat 3D seismic surveys) is expensive and episodic. Muons are generated by high- energy cosmic rays resulting from supernova explosions, and interact with gas molecules in the atmosphere. This innovation has produced a theoretical model of muon attenuation in the thickness of rock above and within a typical sandstone reservoir at a depth of between 1.00 and 1.25 km. Because this first simulation was focused on carbon sequestration, the innovators chose depths sufficient for the pressure there to ensure that the carbon dioxide would be supercritical. This innovation demonstrates for the first time the feasibility of using the natural cosmic-ray muon flux to generate continuous tomographic images of carbon dioxide in a storage site. The muon flux is attenuated to an extent dependent on, amongst other things, the density of the materials through which it passes. The density of supercritical carbon dioxide is only three quarters that of the brine in the reservoir that it displaces. The first realistic simulations indicate that changes as small as 0.4% in the storage site bulk density could be detected (equivalent to 7% of the porosity, in this specific case). The initial muon flux is effectively constant at the surface of the Earth. Sensitivity of the method would be decreased with increasing depth. However, sensitivity can be improved by emplacing a greater array of particle detectors at the base of the reservoir.

Coleman, Max↗
NASA NTRS2023

Cryogenic Oxygen Storage Modules with Carbon Dioxide Sequestration for Environmental Control and Life Support Applications

NASA Kennedy Space Center engineers developed a Cryogenic Oxygen Storage Module (COSM) to store oxygen in solid-state form and deliver it as a gas to an end-use environmental control and/or life support system. Additionally, the COSM can scrub out nuisance or containment gases such as carbon dioxide and/or water vapor in conjunction with supplying oxygen, forming a synergistic system when used in a closed-loop application. Closed-loop life support systems require both oxygen supply and removal of toxic or nuisance gases such as CO2 from the breathing loop. In most deployed systems, these two requirements are accomplished independently. COSM combines these capabilities to work simultaneously which may allow for reduced system volume, mass, complexity and cost of a rebreathing device.

Jeffrey A Kohler↗
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↗
NASA NTRS2004

Anthropogenic Land-use Change and the Dynamics of Amazon Forest Biomass

This project was focused on assessing the effects of prevailing land uses, such as habitat fragmentation, selective logging, and fire, on biomass and carbon storage in Amazonian forests, and on the dynamics of carbon sequestration in regenerating forests. Ancillary goals included developing GIs models to help predict the future condition of Amazonian forests, and assessing the effects of anthropogenic climate change and ENS0 droughts on intact and fragmented forests. Ground-based studies using networks of permanent plots were linked with remote-sensing data (including Landsat TM and AVHRR) at regional scales, and higher-resolution techniques (IKONOS imagery, videography, LIDAR, aerial photographs) at landscape and local scales. The project s specific goals were quite eclectic and included: Determining the effects of habitat fragmentation on forest dynamics, floristic composition, and the various components of above- and below-ground biomass. Assessing historical and physical factors that affect trajectories of forest regeneration and carbon sequestration on abandoned lands. Extrapolating results from local studies of biomass dynamics in fragmented and regenerating forests to landscape and regional scales in Amazonia, using remote sensing and GIS. Testing the hypothesis that intact Amazonian forests are functioning as a significant carbon sink. Examining destructive synergisms between forest fragmentation and fire. Assessing the short-term impacts of selective logging on aboveground biomass. Developing GIS models that integrate current spatial data on forest cover, deforestation, logging, mining, highway and roads, navigable rivers, vulnerability to wild fires, protected areas, and existing and planned infrastructure projects, in an effort to predict the future condition of Brazilian Amazonian forests over the next 20-25 years. Devising predictive spatial models to assess the influence of varied biophysical and anthropogenic predictors on Amazonian deforestation.

Laurance, William F.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Biogas sequestration to carbon nanofibers via tandem catalytic strategies

Upgrading decentralized biogas represents a sustainable route to produce valuable products while mitigating two potent greenhouse gases, namely, methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Conventional dry reforming of CH 4 with CO 2 yields syngas with low H 2 /CO ratios (≤1) and requires high temperatures (>800 °C) to overcome equilibrium constraints and abate coke deposition, which limits commercial implementation. Here we demonstrate the conversion of biogas into value-added carbon nanofibers via reaction integration in tandem reactors, while reducing the reaction temperature, shifting equilibrium limits and yielding H 2 -enriched syngas (H 2 /CO = 2–3) as a byproduct. Experimental and theoretical insights reveal that potassium (K) modification enhances carbon nanofiber formation due to synergistic effects via a balanced interplay between KO x -induced cobalt facets and cobalt carbide species. In conclusion, the energy cost and CO 2 footprint analyses highlight the potential advantages of tandem processes for the sustainable upgrading of biogas into valuable solid carbon products.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Two novel Patescibacteria: Phycocordibacter aenigmaticus gen. nov. sp. nov. and Minusculum obligatum gen. nov. sp. nov., both associated with microalgae optimized for carbon dioxide sequestration from flue gas

The functional roles of bacterial symbionts associated with microalgae remain understudied despite the importance of microalgae in biotechnology and environmental microbiology. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was conducted to analyze bacterial communities associated with two microalgae optimized for growth with flue gas containing 5%–10% CO 2 . Two dominant bacteria with no taxonomic classification beyond the class level (Paceibacteria) were discovered repeatedly in the most productive algal cultures. Long-read metagenomic sequencing was conducted to yield high-quality metagenomes, from which two novel species were discovered under the Seqcode (seqco.de/r:ywe1blo2), Phycocordibacter aenigmaticus gen. nov. sp. nov. and Minusculum obligatum gen. nov. sp. nov. The genus Phycocordibacter gen. nov. was proposed as the nomenclatural type of the family Phycocordibacteraceae fam. nov. and the order Phycocordibacterales ord. nov. Both bacteria possessed features typical of Patescibacteria such as reduced genomes (<800 kbp), lack of complete glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle pathways, and inability to synthesize amino acids. Instead, they rely on the reductive pentose phosphate pathway (Calvin cycle) for essential biosynthesis and redox balance. P. aenigmaticus may also rely on elemental sulfur oxidation (sdo), partial nitrite reduction (nirK), and sulfur-related amino acid metabolism (SAMe → SAH). Both bacteria were found in high relative abundance in cultures of Tetradesmus obliquus HTB1 (freshwater) and Nannochloropsis oceanica IMET1 (marine), suggesting a tight association with microalgae in various environments. The absence of full metabolic pathways for energy production suggests extreme metabolic limitations and obligate symbiosis, most likely with other bacteria associated with the microalgae.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2024

Life Cycle Assessment and Design of LignoBlock: A Lignin Bound Block on the Path Towards a Green Transition of the Construction Industry

Lignin-based biopolymer-bound soil composites (BSCs) are a new class of sustainable construction materials that utilize a bio-based biopolymer — lignin — as a binder. Prior use of lignin suggests that lignin is a promising candidate for the development of bio-based construction materials. Inspired by these applications, lignin-based BSCs were developed using lignoboost lignin, lignoforce lignin, alkali lignin, and hydrolysis lignin. Uni-axial compressive testing of lignin-based BSC shows that the compressive strength for these BSCs range from 1.6–8.1 MPa, which makes them appropriate for low compressive strength construction applications. We performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) of lignin-based BSC, with the functional unit being a CMU-sized block ( V =6423 cm -3 ). The major advantage of BSC lies in the elimination of ordinary portland cement, which is common to many construction materials, including many forms of concrete. Furthermore, the use of lignin in lignin-based BSC results in carbon sequestration (lignin ≈ 60 wt% carbon), potentially making construction materials made from lignin-based BSC carbon negative. Additionally, a design guide for estimating the life cycle carbon footprint of lignin-based BSC for a required compressive strength was developed. By utilizing the results from material tests and the LCA, designers are now able to use lignin effectively in construction applications, as they can now design lignin-based BSC for a target compressive strength with a full understanding of the life cycle carbon footprint implications.

Lignin↗
DOE OSTI2025

Upconversion of non-recycled MSW paper fractions into biochar via slow pyrolysis and life cycle analysis: Pathways to net negative GHG emission

This study presents an integrated and sustainable approach to valorizing non-recycled municipal solid waste (MSW), a heterogeneous and underutilized waste stream destined for landfilling, by converting it into valuable biochar resources. Specifically, we investigated the upcycling of nonrecycled paper waste based on compositional analysis into four major fractions: high cellulose, high lignin, high contamination, and high ash content papers. These fractions were then homogenized and subjected to slow pyrolysis. The high cellulose fraction (36.1 %) was the most abundant, and contained 66.7 % cellulose, while the high lignin fraction showed the highest lignin (12.1 %) and carbon content (44 %), resulting in highest energy value of 17.4 MJ kg −1 . Biochar yields ranged from 25.6 % to 35.6 %, with the high ash fraction producing the highest yield and alkalinity (pH ≈ 11.2) due to its higher mineral content. Elemental analysis revealed enhanced carbon content up to 76.9 % and reduced oxygen and hydrogen, confirming effective carbonization. The high lignin-derived biochar showed the highest aromatic carbon content (82.8 %) and greater structural stability, while contaminated and ash-rich fractions exhibited dense, low-porosity surfaces due to the presence of contaminants and minerals. Spectroscopic analysis revealed degradation of carbohydrates, disappearance of cellulose peaks and formation of aromatic and mineral derived phases. The scaled life cycle process yielded a global warming potential (GWP) of 119.3 kg CO 2 -eq per ton of dry paper waste, offset by soil carbon sequestration of − 556.41 kg CO 2 -eq, resulting in a net impact of − 427.36 kg CO 2 -eq. This represents a net carbon removal exceeding by ~186 % the emissions associated with landfilling paper waste with electricity generation.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗