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At least 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

EDX ClaiMM: Digital Resources for the Critical Minerals and Materials Community

Securing critical mineral supply chains is essential for transitioning to a clean energy economy and for maintaining national security. Big-data analytics can serve as a cost-effective means of identifying new domestic critical mineral resources but only if data can be easily located and digested. Using ArcGIS Enterprise Sites, EDX ClaiMM was developed to increase the accessibility of critical minerals data, reducing time spent on data collection and integration. Hosted tools provide rapid visualization and exploration of key datasets, unlocking insights to support resource assessments.

Yesenchak, Rachel↗
DOE OSTI2024

Investigating Material Properties of Subsurface Rock Formations Modified by Engineering Mineral Precipitation (Final Scientific and Technical Report)

Montana State University’s (MSU) Energy Research Institute (ERI), in collaboration with the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE) and the Department of Civil Engineering (CE), has conducted a long‐term research program aimed at developing a novel cementing agent to address wellbore integrity and reduce the unwanted upward migration of fluids and greenhouse gases from the subsurface. The primary technology developed through this research program is known as ureolysis‐induced calcite precipitation (UICP), which harnesses bio‐chemical processes to precipitate calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). The same general process can also be called microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) when microbes provide the process-catalyzing urease enzyme. Both terms are used in this report. Results have conclusively demonstrated that, if properly controlled, UICP can successfully seal fractures, high permeability zones, and compromised cement in the vicinity of wellbores and in nearby caprock. This technology has been successfully deployed to mitigate annular leakage in two test wells and over sixty commercial wells with a 100% success rate. This success in downhole deployment generates consideration of other subsurface applications where UICP could provide benefit to the energy sector, such as shale property modification for unconventional oil and gas recovery. The focus of this research project was to investigate fundamental material and mechanical properties of select shale cores and analyze how these properties change due to engineered mineral precipitation with the intent to control these properties to achieve a range of engineering objectives. Ultimately, the project aim was to identify valuable new areas where application of UICP might contribute to national energy security and environmental protection. The research workplan coupled UICP treatment of core samples, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) characterization, and mechanical strength testing at MSU with advanced X‐Ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) imaging and numerical modeling performed by collaborators at two national laboratories, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Experimental results are useful to inform geo-mechanical models which could be applied to predict mineralized rock formation behavior at field scale. Our findings suggest that NMR and μCT methods to detect and quantify biomineral formation in shale fractures are complementary and consistent with each other. Either could be used to estimate the volume of new mineral formed by UICP in shale fractures. The use of surfactants and guar gum to enhance biomineral precipitation in shale fractures merits further research. UICP can, under some conditions, increase the tensile strength of sealed shale fractures beyond that of the intact shale. These findings demonstrate that continued research in this area may be valuable to understanding and improving shale resource recovery techniques.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

An assessment of the global cooling supply chain and implications for critical minerals

The global room air conditioner (AC) industry has undergone rapid growth, and the U.S. and India now face new supply chain risks due to China’s dominant role in manufacturing and driving demand. As India’s room AC market and related electricity consumption increases with continued economic development, it faces dual challenges of supply chain vulnerabilities and power grid blackouts from higher peak loads. To mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities for high-efficiency cooling equipment and critical mineral inputs to AC components, there is an increasing need to diversify the supply chain and address energy security and peak load risks to both the U.S. and India. This report assesses the potential for diversifying supply chains and scaling up manufacturing of highly efficient cooling equipment technologies and related critical mineral inputs in the U.S. and India. Successful cooperation on these technologies will enable the U.S., India, and their Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) partners to diversify AC supply chains while meeting India’s large and growing demand for efficient cooling. In the similarly concentrated supply chain for critical minerals, the U.S. and India can work with Japan and Australia to leverage each country’s strengths in diversifying mining, processing, and refining while pursuing alternatives to materials with high supply chain risks and supporting increased recycling and circular economy approaches.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Technical Feasibility of Recovering Critical Minerals from Oil and Gas Industry Produced Water

Economic recovery of critical minerals from solid and liquid streams produced from natural resource extraction operations including Oil and Gas production, Mining, geothermal, and other industries can help alleviate shortage of the minerals important to industry. It is important to develop techniques for extraction that can be utilized at large scale to be economically viable, and to minimize waste products that require special disposal procedures. NETL and Participant will collaborate to develop and evaluate at the lab-scale, a process to recover and concentrate critical minerals from oil and gas industry produced water using a combination of physical and chemical methods, so that it may be converted into a valuable product. This effort promotes a circular economy by converting a waste stream into marketable products.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2022

Changes in the C-terminal, N-terminal, and histidine regions of amelogenin reveal the role of oligomer quaternary structure on adsorption and hydroxyapatite mineralization

Adsorption interactions between amelogenin and calcium phosphate minerals are believed to be important to amelogenin’s function in enamel formation, however, the role of specific amino acid residues and domains within the protein in controlling adsorption is not well known. We synthesized “mechanistic probes” by systematically removing charged regions of amelogenin in order to elucidate their roles. The probes included amelogenin without the charged residues in the N-terminus (SEKR), without two, three, or eight histidines (H) in the central protein region (H2, H3, H8), or without the C-terminal residues (Delta). In-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) adsorption studies onto hydroxyapatite (HAP) single crystals confirmed that the C-terminus was the dominant domain in promoting adsorption. We propose that subtle changes in protein-protein interactions for proteins with histidines and N-terminal residues removed resulted in changes in the oligomer quaternary size and structure that also affected protein adsorption. HAP mineralization studies revealed that the oligomer-HAP binding energy and protein layer thickness were factors in controlling the amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) to HAP induction time. Our studies with mechanistic probes reveal the importance of the oligomer quaternary structure in controlling amelogenin adsorption and HAP mineralization.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Photoluminescence Induced in Mineral Oil by Ionizing Radiation

We have studied photoluminescence (PL) properties of vacuum pump mineral oil as a function of the type and intensity of ionizing radiation exposure. The mineral oil has a simple aliphatic structure, which possesses no chromophore in the traditional sense. Unexpected PL in the mineral oil has characteristic features such as variation of the emission peak wavelength depending on the excitation wavelength and intensity dramatically increasing with radiation dose. The observed behavior can be understood in the framework of a previously suggested model introducing aggregation-induced PL and the formation of conjugated clusters comprising nontraditional chromophores. Our findings can be used for the development of optical sensors for real-time monitoring of oil utilized in vacuum pumps in nuclear fusion reactors.

Bliznyuk, Valery N.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Reduction of Hg(II) by Fe(II)-Bearing Smectite Clay Minerals

Aluminosilicate clay minerals are often a major component of soils and sediments and many of these clays contain structural Fe (e.g., smectites and illites). Structural Fe(III) in smectite clays is redox active and can be reduced to Fe(II) by biotic and abiotic processes. Fe(II)-bearing minerals such as magnetite and green rust can reduce Hg(II) to Hg(0); however, the ability of other environmentally relevant Fe(II) phases, such as structural Fe(II) in smectite clays, to reduce Hg(II) is largely undetermined. We conducted experiments examining the potential for reduction of Hg(II) by smectite clay minerals containing 0–25 wt% Fe. Fe(III) in the clays (SYn-1 synthetic mica-montmorillonite, SWy-2 montmorillonite, NAu-1 and NAu-2 nontronite, and a nontronite from Cheney, Washington (CWN)) was reduced to Fe(II) using the citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite method. Experiments were initiated by adding 500 µM Hg(II) to reduced clay suspensions (4 g clay L−1) buffered at pH 7.2 in 20 mM 3-morpholinopropane-1-sulfonic acid (MOPS). The potential for Hg(II) reduction in the presence of chloride (0–10 mM) and at pH 5–9 was examined in the presence of reduced NAu-1. Analysis of the samples by Hg LIII-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy indicated little to no reduction of Hg(II) by SYn-1 (0% Fe), while reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0) was observed in the presence of reduced SWy-2, NAu-1, NAu-2, and CWN (2.8–24.8% Fe). Hg(II) was reduced to Hg(0) by NAu-1 at all pH and chloride concentrations examined. These results suggest that Fe(II)-bearing smectite clays may contribute to Hg(II) reduction in suboxic/anoxic soils and sediments.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Electron Donor Utilization and Secondary Mineral Formation during the Bioreduction of Lepidocrocite by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32

The bioreduction of Fe(III) oxides by dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria (DIRB) may result in the production of a suite of Fe(II)-bearing secondary minerals, including magnetite, siderite, vivianite, green rusts, and chukanovite; the formation of specific phases controlled by the interaction of various physiological and geochemical factors. In an effort to better understand the effects of individual electron donors on the formation of specific Fe(II)-bearing secondary minerals, we examined the effects of a series of potential electron donors on the bioreduction of lepidocrocite ($γ$-FeOOH) by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32. Biomineralization products were identified by X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Acetate, citrate, ethanol, glucose, glutamate, glycerol, malate, and succinate were not effectively utilized for the bioreduction of lepidocrocite by S. putrefaciens CN32; however, substantial Fe(II) production was observed when formate, lactate, H 2 , pyruvate, serine, or N acetylglucosamine (NAG) was provided as an electron donor. Carbonate or sulfate green rust was the dominant Fe(II)-bearing secondary mineral when formate, H 2 , lactate, or NAG was provided, however, siderite formed with pyruvate or serine. Geochemical modeling indicated that pH and carbonate concentration are the key factors determining the prevalence of carbonate green rust verses siderite.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Shinkolobweite, from the Shinkolobwe Mine, Democratic Republic of Congo: A New Mineral Containing Uranium in the Rare Pentavalent Oxidation State

ABSTRACT Shinkolobweite, Pb1.333[U5+O(OH)(UO2)5O4.67(OH)5.33](H2O)5, is a new lead uranyl oxide-hydroxide hydrate mineral containing hexavalent and pentavalent uranium from the Shinkolobwe mine, Democratic Republic of Congo. Crystals of shinkolobweite are dark reddish-brown prisms up to 0.5 mm in length, occurring on a matrix of massive uraninite associated with fourmarierite, rutherfordine, soddyite, and sklodowskite. Crystals are translucent with subadamantine luster and light bronze-yellow streak, are flattened on {010}, are elongated on [001], and exhibit the forms {100}, {010}, {101}, and . The mineral is non-fluorescent under both longwave and shortwave ultraviolet illumination. It has a Mohs hardness of ∼2 and exhibits brittle tenacity with perfect cleavage on {010}, imperfect cleavage on {100}, and even fracture. The calculated density is 5.853 g/cm3 based on the empirical formula. Electron probe microanalysis provided the empirical formula Pb1.290U6+4.876U5+1.166O27H16.633 based on 27 O apfu and U5+:U6+ determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Shinkolobweite is orthorhombic, superspace group Pnnm(0b0)000, a = 14.4808(4), b = 7.0681(8), c = 11.9423(3) Å, V = 1222.32(15) Å3, modulation wave vector [0 1/3 0], and Z = 2. The structure was refined from 8959 reflections to a final R1 = 0.0736 for all reflections. Uranyl oxide-hydroxide sheets in shinkolobweite adopt the β-U3O8 topology and possess (3 + 1) commensurately modulated ordering that results from the long-range ordering of U5+ and U6+ in the sheet, as well as the position and occupancy of interlayer Pb2+ cations. Observations of a topological transition between α-U3O8 and β-U3O8 type sheets in shinkolobweite supplements our understanding of U5+ mineral oxidation and stability.

Mineralogy↗
DOE OSTI2024

Trebiskyite, the First Titanium-Decavanadate Mineral

Abstract Trebiskyite, Na3Mg2[TiV9O28]·22H2O, from the Pickett Corral mine, Bull Canyon, Montrose County, Colorado, USA, is the first mineral containing essential Ti as a component of a decavanadate polyanion. Crystals are thin prisms or needles up to ∼0.3 mm in length, occurring as individuals and in divergent sprays. Trebiskyite crystals are translucent yellow with vitreous luster and pale-yellow streak and are non-fluorescent under both longwave and shortwave ultraviolet illumination. The crystals exhibit elongation on [001] and are modified by several 0kl prism forms, possibly corresponding to {010}, {011}, and {012}. The Mohs hardness is ca. 2 based on scratch tests. Crystals have brittle tenacity with irregular fracture. No apparent cleavage, nor twinning, was evident, and the mineral is readily soluble in H2O. The density measured by flotation in methylene iodide-toluene mixture is 2.38(2) g/cm3. The calculated density is 2.352 g/cm3 for the empirical formula and 2.343 g/cm3 for the ideal formula. Electron microprobe analyses provided the empirical formula Na3.39Mg1.87V8.75Ti1.25O50H44.00, based on Ti + V = 10 apfu, O = 50 apfu, with the Na content having been determined from the refined crystal structure. Trebiskyite is monoclinic, space group P21/c, a = 9.478(4), b = 21.426(11), c = 11.267(5) Å, β = 114.572(7)°, V = 2080.8(13) Å3, Z = 2. The structure was refined from 6642 reflections to a final R1 = 0.0517 for reflections I > 2σ(I). The structural unit of trebiskyite, (TiV9O28)7−, is built from a Ti-substituted decavanadate polyanion, (V10O28)6−, found in other members of the pascoite family. Chemically, trebiskyite is closely related to lasalite, Na2Mg2[V10O28]·20H2O, and huemulite, Na4Mg[V10O28]·24H2O; however, trebiskyite contains a novel structural arrangement that is unique among the decavanadate minerals. The interstitial complex in trebiskyite has the ideal formula {[Na3Mg2(H2O)19](H2O)3} and consists of chains of distorted octahedrally coordinated Na+ and regular Mg[O(H2O)5] octahedra. The observed low incident bond valence to the V1 site (4.45 vu) and marked deviation in vanadyl and V–Oeq bond lengths indicate that this site is host to the essential Ti4+ identified during chemical analyses.

Mineralogy↗
DOE OSTI2015

Modeling the global emission, transport and deposition of trace elements associated with mineral dust

Trace element deposition from desert dust has important impacts on ocean primary productivity, the quantification of which could be useful in determining the magnitude and sign of the biogeochemical feedback on radiative forcing. However, the impact of elemental deposition to remote ocean regions is not well understood and is not currently included in global climate models. In this study, emission inventories for eight elements primarily of soil origin, Mg, P, Ca, Mn, Fe, K, Al, and Si are determined based on a global mineral data set and a soil data set. The resulting elemental fractions are used to drive the desert dust model in the Community Earth System Model (CESM) in order to simulate the elemental concentrations of atmospheric dust. Spatial variability of mineral dust elemental fractions is evident on a global scale, particularly for Ca. Simulations of global variations in the Ca / Al ratio, which typically range from around 0.1 to 5.0 in soils, are consistent with observations, suggesting that this ratio is a good signature for dust source regions. The simulated variable fractions of chemical elements are sufficiently different; estimates of deposition should include elemental variations, especially for Ca, Al and Fe. The model results have been evaluated with observations of elemental aerosol concentrations from desert regions and dust events in non-dust regions, providing insights into uncertainties in the modeling approach. The ratios between modeled and observed elemental fractions range from 0.7 to 1.6, except for Mg and Mn (3.4 and 3.5, respectively). Using the soil database improves the correspondence of the spatial heterogeneity in the modeling of several elements (Ca, Al and Fe) compared to observations. Total and soluble dust element fluxes to different ocean basins and ice sheet regions have been estimated, based on the model results. The annual inputs of soluble Mg, P, Ca, Mn, Fe and K associated with dust using the mineral data set are 0.30 Tg, 16.89 Gg, 1.32 Tg, 22.84 Gg, 0.068 Tg, and 0.15 Tg to global oceans and ice sheets.

Zhang, Y.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Model-based analysis of solute transport and potential carbon mineralization in the active layer of a hillslope underlain by permafrost with seasonal variability and climate change

Permafrost carbon, stored in frozen organic matter across vast Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, represents a substantial and increasingly vulnerable carbon reservoir. As global temperatures rise, the accelerated thawing of permafrost releases greenhouse gases, exacerbating climate change. However, freshly thawed permafrost carbon may also experience lateral transport by groundwater flow to surface water recipients such as rivers and lakes, increasing the terrestrial-to-aquatic transfer of permafrost carbon. Mobilization and subsurface transport mechanisms are poorly understood and not accounted for in global climate models, leading to high uncertainties in the predictions of the permafrost carbon feedback. Here, we focus on a hillslope in Endalen Valley, Svalbard, as a representative example of a high-Arctic hillslope underlain by continuous permafrost. We analyze solute transport in the form of a non-reactive tracer representing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) using a physics-based numerical model with the objective to study governing cryotic and hydrodynamic transport mechanisms relevant for warming permafrost regions. We first analyze transport times for DOC pools at different locations within the active layer under present-day climatic conditions and proceed to study susceptibility for deeper ancient carbon release in the upper permafrost due to thaw under different warming scenarios. Results suggest that DOC in the active layer near the permafrost table experiences rapid lateral transport upon thaw due to saturated conditions and lateral flow, while DOC close to the ground surface experiences slower transport due to flow in unsaturated soil. Deeper permafrost carbon release exhibits vastly different transport behaviors depending on warming and thaw rate. Gradual warming leads to small fractions of DOC being mobilized every year, while the majority moves vertically through percolation and cryosuction. Abrupt thaw resulting from a single very warm year leads to faster lateral transport times, similar to active layer DOC released in saturated conditions. Lastly, we analyze the potential susceptibility of DOC to mineralization to CO 2 prior to export due to soil moisture and temperature conditions. We find that high liquid saturation during transport coincides with very low mineralization rates and potentially inhibits mineralization into CO 2 before export. Overall, the results highlight the importance of subsurface hydrologic and thermal conditions for the retention and lateral export of permafrost carbon by subsurface flow.

Hamm, Alexandra [Stockholm Univ. (Sweden)] (ORCID:↗
DOE OSTI2015

Sugarcane Biomass Production in South Florida: A Comparative Emergy Assessment of Organic Soil and Mineral Soil Production Systems

An Emergy Assessment (EMA) of sugarcane cultivation as feedstock for bioethanol production in South Florida was performed to develop a sustainability profile of the farming systems. In this study, a sugarcane farming system on muck soil (organic soil) was compared with a similar crop- ping system on a sandy soil (mineral soil). Our study provides a comparison of these alternative systems from the perspective of their resource use, environmental impact and sustainability. The representative farm for both systems was based on a 5000 acres farm assumed to be already established in South Florida. Emergy analysis was applied to evaluate environmental support required for the sugarcane production in both systems. In line with the methodology a quantitative inventory of free natural resources and purchased input flows into the systems was created. These results showed that aside ground water irrigation which dominates (44%) in both systems, the largest emergy flows for biofuel production on organic soil were associated with soil erosion or subsidence (19%), labor (12%), evapotranspiration (11%), and fuel (8%). However, for sandy soil production, the main contributors were lime (13%), labor (12%), and fuel (8%). Furthermore, the emergy analysis suggests that due to the non-renewability of soil loss in the organic soil farming system, a reduction in the purchased inputs for sandy (mineral) soils based on alternative farming measures potentially makes mineral soil sugarcane ethanol production a rather more sustainable and attractive alternative for a better environmental performance.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1971

Bibliography of articles and reports on mineral-separation techniques, processes, and applications

A bibliography of published articles and reports on mineral-separation techniques, processes, and applications is presented along with an author and subject index. This information is intended for use in the mineral-separation facility of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center and as an aid and reference to persons involved or interested in mineral separation.

Harmon, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Near infrared iron absorption bands: Applications to geologic mapping and mineral exploration

A spectroscopic analysis of the difference in reflectance of iron-rich and iron-poor minerals was made. Attempts were made to use these minima contrast in geological mapping and metallic mineral exploration of large areas from near infrared and visible satellite images. Data cover pertinent laboratory spectroscopic investigations, applications of spectral differences to the discrimination of two important metamorphic rock types, and mineral exploration by aircraft in Beartooth Mountains, Montana.

Rowan, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Mineral exploration and fracture trends in Utah and Nevada, by ERTS-1 imagery

The author has identified the following significant results. Major structural trends have been compiled on five separate maps, at a scale of 1:1,000,000, of Utah and Nevada from ERTS-1 imagery. An arbitrary length of ten kilometers has been chosen as a minimum length of the trends. The selection is based upon: (1) obvious displacement of structures; (2) continuity or persistence of trends across structures; (3) line-up of outcrop patterns, drainage, erosional features or vegetation; and (4) near-linear trends. Several recognizable trend directions have noted, viz., N 10-15 deg W, N 35 deg W, N 80 deg W, N 30 deg E, and E-W. More than 1500 structural trends have been identified, some of which are mineralized and extend into pediment or shallow alluvial cover. Those fracture trends that exhibit mineralization in exposed bedrock will be assayed for mercury content with a soil-gas analyzer and similar collection will be done over alluvial posture blankets by the same technique with the hope of discovering blind mineralized zones that are not exposed on the surface.

Jensen, M. L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Minor and trace elements in some meteoritic minerals.

Despite the information available (Mason, 1971) on trace elements in different types of meteorites, relatively little is known about the distribution of these elements among the individual mineral phases. The mineral phases including olivine, orthopyroxene, clinipyroxene, troilite, nickel-iron, plagioclase, chromite, and the phosphates were separated from several meteorites. The purified minerals were analyzed for trace and minor elements by spark source mass spectrometry and instrumental neutron activation analysis. The elements are classified as siderophile, lithophile, and chalcophile.

Allen, R. O., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Mineral oils

The characteristics of lubricants made from mineral oils are discussed. Types and compositions of base stocks are reviewed and the product demands and compositions of typical products are outlined. Processes for commercial production of mineral oils are examined. Tables of data are included to show examples of product types and requirements. A chemical analysis of three types of mineral oils is reported.

Furby, N. W.↗