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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Data about data – when, why and how metadata can support the digital plant

A structured approach for recording data quality and contextual information about how and why a signal exists – i.e. metadata – is central to interpret and use sensor data correctly. This is becoming increasingly important with the global trend with data-driven applications such as digital twins and AI-models. But a structured metadata collection and organization of sensor data is not routine in most plants, which can result in lost information and missed opportunities to make use of the investments made in the data collection. Therefore, the IWA task group on Metadata Collection and Organization in wastewater resource recovery systems (MetaCO) was initiated in 2020 and recently delivered the IWA scientific and technical report number 31. The report gives and in-depth description about metadata in water resources recovery facilities (WRRFs) and is available as open access at IWA publishing. The report is the outcome of the collaboration between more than 80 water professionals with the intention to serve WRRF data users with a guide on how to structure and make use of metadata throughout the data pipeline in order to maximize the value of sensor data.

Alferes, Janelcy [VITO, Belgium]↗
NASA NTRS1996

Electrolytic Removal of Nitrate From CELSS Crop Residues

The controlled ecological life support system (CELSS) resource recovery system is a waste processing system using aerobic and anaerobic bioreactors to recover plant nutrients and secondary foods from inedible biomass. Crop residues contain significant amounts of nitrate which presents two problems: (1) both CELSS biomass production and resource recovery consume large quantities of nitric acid, (2) nitrate causes a variety of problems in both aerobic and anaerobic bioreactors. A technique was proposed to remove the nitrate from potato inedible biomass leachate and to satisfy the nitric acid demand using a four compartment electrolytic cell.

Colon, Guillermo↗
NASA NTRS2002

Recovery of resources for advanced life support space applications: effect of retention time on biodegradation of two crop residues in a fed-batch, continuous stirred tank reactor

Bioreactor retention time is a key process variable that will influence costs that are relevant to long distance space travel or long duration space habitation. However. little is known about the effects of this parameter on the microbiological treatment options that are being proposed for Advanced Life Support (ALS) systems. Two bioreactor studies were designed to examine this variable. In the first one, six retention times ranging from 1.3 to 21.3 days--were run in duplicate, 81 working-volume continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR) that were fed ALS wheat residues. Ash-free dry weight loss, carbon mineralization, soluble TOC reduction, changes in fiber content (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin), bacterial numbers, and mineral recoveries were monitored. At short retention times--1.33 days--biodegradation was poor (total: 16-20%, cellulose - 12%, hemicellulose - 28%) but soluble TOC was decreased by 75-80% and recovery of major crop inorganic nutrients was adequate, except for phosphorus. A high proportion of the total bacteria (ca. 83%) was actively respiring. At the longest retention time tested, 21.3 days, biodegradation was good (total: 55-60%, cellulose ca. 70%, hemicellulose - ca. 55%) and soluble TOC was decreased by 80%. Recovery of major nutrients, except phosphorus, remained adequate. A very low proportion of total bacteria was actively respiring (ca. 16%). The second bioreactor study used potato residue to determine if even shorter retention times could be used (range 0.25-2.0 days). Although overall biodegradation deteriorated, the degradation of soluble TOC continued to be ca. 75%. We conclude that if the goal of ALS bioprocessing is maximal degradation of crop residues, including cellulose, then retention times of 10 days or longer will be needed. If the goal is to provide inorganic nutrients with the smallest volume/weight bioreactor possible, then a retention time of 1 day (or less) is sufficient.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2026

Waste to worth: a circular solution through lignin engineering

The inefficient management of industrial waste threatens environmental sustainability, requiring scalable resource recovery solutions. To address these challenges, we propose a novel and sustainable in-situ one-step strategy for the simultaneous recovery and functionalization of lignin from industrial black liquor, using a sustainable organic acid system assisted by choline chloride. The functionalized lignin adsorbent material (FLAM) exhibited superior adsorption performance, effectively treating animal feedlot wastewater to recover ammonia. The ammonia enriched FLAM was subsequently repurposed as a slow-release fertilizer, enhancing plant growth and demonstrating a closed-loop pathway for waste valorization and nutrient recycling. Methylene blue was used as a model cationic compound to simulate the adsorption behavior and interactions. FLAM achieved a high adsorption capacity of 725.98 mg/g across a broad pH range, significantly outperforming commercial kraft lignin. This sustainable approach advances circular economy principles by integrating remediation and resource recovery, offering a scalable, eco-friendly solution for environmental applications.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS2015

Dormancy and Recovery Testing for Biological Wastewater Processors

Resource recovery and recycling waste streams to usable water via biological water processors is a plausible component of an integrated water purification system. Biological processing as a pretreatment can reduce the load of organic carbon and nitrogen compounds entering physiochemical systems downstream. Aerated hollow fiber membrane bioreactors, have been proposed and studied for a number of years as an approach for treating wastewater streams for space exploration.

Dormancy↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mineral Scaling in 3D Interfacial Solar Evaporators–A Challenge for Brine Treatment and Lithium Recovery

In this work, we analyzed the effects of mineral scaling on the performance of a 3D interfacial solar evaporator, with a focus on the cations relevant to lithium recovery from brackish water. The field has been rapidly moving toward resource recovery applications from brines with higher cation concentrations. However, the potential complications caused by common minerals in these brines other than NaCl have been largely overlooked. Therefore, in this study, we thoroughly examined the effects of two common cations (calcium and magnesium) on the long-term solar evaporation performance of a 3D graphene oxide stalk. The 3D stalk can achieve an evaporation flux as high as 17.8 kg m –2 h –1 under one-sun illumination, and accumulation of NaCl on the stalk surface has no impact. However, the presence of CaCl 2 and MgCl 2 significantly reduces the evaporative flux even in solutions lacking scale-forming anions. A close examination of scale formation during long-term evaporation experiments revealed that CaCl 2 and MgCl 2 tend to precipitate out within the stalk, thus blocking water transport through the stalk and significantly dropping the evaporation rates. These findings imply that research attention is needed to modify and optimize the internal water transport channels for 3D evaporators. Additionally, we emphasize the importance of testing realistic mixtures–including prominent divalent cations– and testing long-term operations in interfacial solar evaporation research and investigating approaches to mitigate the negative impacts of divalent cations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pillared Laminar Vermiculite Membranes with Tunable Monovalent and Multivalent Ion Selectivity

Effective membrane separation of Li + from Na + and Mg 2+ is crucial for lithium extraction from water yet challenging for conventional polymeric membranes. Two dimensional (2D) membranes with ordered laminar structures and tunable physicochemical properties offer distinctive ion-sieving capabilities promising for lithium extraction. Recently, phyllosilicates are introduced as abundant and cost-effective source materials for such membranes. However, their water instability and low inherent ion transport selectivity hinder practical applications. Herein, a new class of laminar membranes with excellent stability and tunable ion sieving is reported by incorporating inorganic alumina pillars into vermiculite interlayers. Crosslinking vermiculite flakes with alumina pillars significantly strengthens interlamellar interactions, resulting in robust water stability. Doping of Na + before the pillaring process reverses the membrane's surface charge, substantially boosting Li + separation from multivalent cations via electrostatic interactions. Lithium extraction is often complicated by the presence of co-existing monovalent cations (e.g., Na + ) at higher concentrations. Here, by introducing excess Na + into the membrane after the pillaring process, the separation of Li + from monovalent cations is enhanced through steric effects. This work realizes both monovalent/multivalent and monovalent/monovalent selective ion sieving with the same membrane platform. A separation mechanism is proposed based on Donnan exclusion and size exclusion, providing new insights for membrane design for resource recovery applications.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2026

Comparative life-cycle assessments and techno-economic analysis of renewable natural gas production pathways from biogas

Renewable natural gas (RNG) offers a promising pathway for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors. This study shows that, relative to conventional upgrading technologies (i.e., membrane separation and pressure swing adsorption), the catalytic methanation reaction (CMR) at water resource recovery facilities doubles RNG output. When consuming lowcarbon hydrogen, the CMR reduces operational energy use and global warming potential. Techno-economic analysis indicates that the CMR is not yet competitive but will become viable if hydrogen reaches $1/kg. Heat integration and hydrogen cost are key drivers of overall performance.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Clay Reimagined: Phyllosilicates as Future Membrane Technologies

Membrane technologies have made critical advances in resource recovery, water purification, and energy systems. However, it is difficult to systematically tune properties of traditional polymer membranes, and researchers have struggled to deliver challenging, advanced separations using these platforms. In recent years, membranes based on 2D materials have drawn attention for molecular-scale separations due to their unique properties, most notably their tunable nanoscale interlayer properties. Among the diverse family of 2D materials, phyllosilicates, a broad class of naturally abundant clay minerals, offer significant advantages in cost and scalability over synthetic 2D materials, positioning them as promising candidates for advanced membrane technologies. Their inherent structural and chemical properties, strategies for tailoring selective transport pathways, and recent advancements across applications including ion separation, water treatment, and energy conversion are discussed. Finally, key challenges and opportunities are outlined to guide future research in leveraging phyllosilicate membranes for high-performance separation technologies.

energy storage and conversion↗
DOE OSTI2024

Pilot microbial electrolysis cell closes the hydrogen loop for hydrothermal wet waste conversion to jet fuel

The global shift toward net-zero emissions necessitates resource recovery from wet waste. In this study, we demonstrate the first feasibility of combining pilot-scale microbial electrolytic cells (MECs) with hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) for simultaneous post-hydrothermal liquefaction wastewater (PHW) treatment and efficient hydrogen (H₂) production to meet biocrude upgrading requirements. Long-term single reactor operation revealed that fixed anode potential enabled rapid startup, and low catholyte pH and high salinity were effective in suppression of cathodic methanogenesis and acetogenesis – resulting in high current density of 16.6 A m –2 and 9.3 A m –2 when feeding synthetic wastewater and PHW respectively. Additionally, the anode biofilm exhibited spatial variations in response to local environmental conditions. In conclusion, onsite parallel or serial operations of multiple MECs showed good performance using actual PHW with a record-high H 2 production rate of 0.5 L L R day –1 for MEC over 10 liters scale, and the optimal chemical oxygen demand (COD)-to-H 2 yield reached 0.127 kg-H 2 per kg-COD, supporting a self-sufficient, closed-loop upgrade to jet fuel.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Optimization of Delignified Wood Rods for Interfacial Solar Evaporation

Interfacial solar evaporation using three-dimensional evaporator materials has shown promise to achieve high evaporation rates exceeding the photothermal limit for water treatment and resource recovery processes. However, challenges remain in optimizing the material geometry to balance the vertical capillary uptake of water and the rate of evaporation to achieve both stable and high evaporation rates. Delignified wood can serve as a highly porous and hydrophilic substrate material to achieve high evaporation rates. In this work, we designed a suspended biochar-coated delignified wood rod evaporator and investigated the influence of its geometric parameters on its evaporation performance. The height of the evaporator exposed to air for evaporation was observed to be an important parameter in governing the evaporation rate, as shorter evaporators limited the available surface area for evaporation, but taller evaporators could not achieve sufficient rates of capillary uptake to maintain stable evaporation rates over 24 h under 1-sun illumination (1 kW m –2 ). In conclusion, the exposed height of the evaporator was optimized to achieve an average hourly evaporation rate of 3.05 ± 0.23 kg m –2 h –1 , which could be maintained in saline solutions containing up to 5 wt % NaCl.

Coating materials↗
NASA NTRS2003

Human Support Technology Research to Enable Exploration

Contents include the following: Advanced life support. System integration, modeling, and analysis. Progressive capabilities. Water processing. Air revitalization systems. Why advanced CO2 removal technology? Solid waste resource recovery systems: lyophilization. ISRU technologies for Mars life support. Atmospheric resources of Mars. N2 consumable/make-up for Mars life. Integrated test beds. Monitoring and controlling the environment. Ground-based commercial technology. Optimizing size vs capability. Water recovery systems. Flight verification topics.

Joshi, Jitendra↗
NASA NTRS2009

Lunar Outpost Life Support Architecture Study Based on a High Mobility Exploration Scenario

As scenarios for lunar surface exploration and habitation continue to evolve within NASA s Constellation program, so must studies of optimal life support system architectures and technologies. This paper presents results of a life support architecture study based on a 2009 NASA scenario known as Scenario 12. Scenario 12 represents a consolidation of ideas from earlier NASA scenarios and includes an outpost near the Lunar South Pole comprised of three larger fixed surface elements and four attached pressurized rovers. The scenario places a high emphasis on surface mobility, with planning assuming that all four crewmembers spend roughly 50% of the time away from the outpost on 3-14 day excursions in two of the pressurized rovers. Some of the larger elements can also be mobilized for longer duration excursions. This emphasis on mobility poses a significant challenge for a regenerative life support system in terms of cost-effective waste collection and resource recovery across multiple elements, including rovers with very constrained infrastructure resources. The current study considers pressurized rovers as part of a distributed outpost life support architecture in both stand-alone and integrated configurations. A range of architectures are examined reflecting different levels of closure and distributed functionality. Different lander propellant scavenging options are also considered involving either initial conversion of residual oxygen and hydrogen propellants to water or initial direct oxygen scavenging. Monte Carlo simulations are used to assess the sensitivity of results to volatile high-impact mission variables, including the quantity of residual lander propellants available for scavenging, the fraction of crew time away from the outpost on excursions, total extravehicular activity hours, and habitat leakage. Architectures are evaluated by estimating surpluses or deficits of water and oxygen per 180-day mission and differences in fixed and 10-year-total equivalent system mass (ESM) relative to a reference case. Results are presented based on current assumptions for Scenario 12 and based on Monte Carlo simulations with assumed probability distributions for the high-impact mission variables. The calculated probability of no water or oxygen resupply from Monte Carlo simulations provides a quantitative measure of system robustness that can be used for cost/benefit analyses to identify leading architecture candidates. Areas of technology improvement that are likely to have a significant impact are also suggested.

Lange, Kevin E.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Minimizing Launch Mass for ISRU Processes

The University of Dayton and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are developing a methodology for estimating the Earth launch mass (ELM) of processes for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) with a focus on lunar resource recovery. ISRU may be enabling for both an extended presence on the Moon, and for large sample return missions and for a human presence on Mars. To accomplish these exploration goals, the resources recovered by ISRU must offset the ELM for the recovery process. An appropriate figure of merit is the cost of the exploration mission, which is closely related to ELM. For a given production rate and resource concentration, the lowest ELM - and the best ISRU process - is achieved by minimizing capital equipment for both the ISRU process and energy production. ISRU processes incur Carnot limitations and second law losses (irreversibilities) that ultimately determine production rate, material utilization and energy efficiencies. Heat transfer, chemical reaction, and mechanical operations affect the ELM in ways that are best understood by examining the process's detailed energetics. Schemes for chemical and thermal processing that do not incorporate an understanding of second law losses will be incompletely understood. Our team is developing a methodology that will aid design and selection of ISRU processes by identifying the impact of thermodynamic losses on ELM. The methodology includes mechanical, thermal and chemical operations, and, when completed, will provide a procedure and rationale for optimizing their design and minimizing their cost. The technique for optimizing ISRU with respect to ELM draws from work of England and Funk that relates the cost of endothermic processes to their second law efficiencies. Our team joins their approach for recovering resources by chemical processing with analysis of thermal and mechanical operations in space. Commercial firms provide cost inputs for ELM and planetary landing. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

England, C.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Series-Bosch Technology for Oxygen Recovery During Lunar or Martian Surface Missions

Long‐duration surface missions to the Moon or Mars will require life support systems that maximize resource recovery to minimize resupply from Earth. To address this need, NASA previously proposed a Series‐Bosch (S‐Bosch) oxygen recovery system, based on the Bosch process, which can theoretically recover 100% of the oxygen from metabolic carbon dioxide. Bosch processes have the added benefits of the potential to recover oxygen from atmospheric carbon dioxide and the use of regolith materials as catalysts, thereby eliminating the need for catalyst resupply from Earth. In 2012, NASA completed an initial design for an S‐Bosch development test stand that incorporates two catalytic reactors in series including a Reverse Water‐Gas Shift (RWGS) Reactor and a Carbon Formation Reactor (CFR). In 2013, fabrication of system components, with the exception of a CFR, and assembly of the test stand was initiated. Stand‐alone testing of the RWGS reactor was completed to compare performance with design models. Continued testing of Lunar and Martian regolith simulants provided sufficient data to design a CFR intended to utilize these materials as catalysts. Finally, a study was conducted to explore the possibility of producing bricks from spend regolith catalysts. The results of initial demonstration testing of the RWGS reactor, results of continued catalyst performance testing of regolith simulants, and results of brick material properties testing are reported. Additionally, design considerations for a regolith‐based CFR are discussed.

Abney, Morgan B.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Series-Bosch Technology for Oxygen Recovery During Lunar or Martian Surface Missions

Long-duration surface missions to the Moon or Mars will require life support systems that maximize resource recovery to minimize resupply from Earth. To address this need, NASA previously proposed a Series-Bosch (S-Bosch) oxygen recovery system, based on the Bosch process, which can theoretically recover 100% of the oxygen from metabolic carbon dioxide. Bosch processes have the added benefits of the potential to recover oxygen from atmospheric carbon dioxide and the use of regolith materials as catalysts, thereby eliminating the need for catalyst resupply from Earth. In 2012, NASA completed an initial design for an S-Bosch development test stand that incorporates two catalytic reactors in series including a Reverse Water-Gas Shift (RWGS) Reactor and a Carbon Formation Reactor (CFR). In 2013, fabrication of system components, with the exception of a CFR, and assembly of the test stand was initiated. Stand-alone testing of the RWGS reactor was completed to compare performance with design models. Continued testing of Lunar and Martian regolith simulants provided sufficient data to design a CFR intended to utilize these materials as catalysts. Finally, a study was conducted to explore the possibility of producing bricks from spent regolith catalysts. The results of initial demonstration testing of the RWGS reactor, results of continued catalyst performance testing of regolith simulants, and results of brick material properties testing are reported. Additionally, design considerations for a regolith-based CFR are discussed.

Abney, Morgan B.↗
NASA NTRS2024

False Cape Data Collection Annex, Solid Waste Management Unit 113, Limited Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Investigation Report, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Investigation (RFI) Report summarizes groundwater investigation activities performed between July 2020 and October 2023 at the False Cape Data Collection Annex (FCDC) (Solid Waste Management Unit [SWMU] 113) located at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The purpose of the RFI is to characterize the nature and extent of volatile organic compound (VOC)-contaminated groundwater at FCDC; evaluate the fate and transport of VOC contamination; collect sufficient data to evaluate potential future requirements for the site, such as corrective measures, long term monitoring, or No Further Action; and conduct a human health preliminary risk evaluation (PRE) based on the groundwater data.

False Cape Data Collection Annex↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Quantitation of Trace Water in ISS Atmosphere Samples Recovered from CO2-Removal Systems

As crewed spaceflight continues to push the limits of exploration, instruments and hardware used to maintain and monitor crew and vehicle health must become more integrated, reliable, and efficient. By combining a carbon dioxide (CO2) removal system with a resource recovery system like a Sabatier or Bosch reactor, the waste gas from the removal system can be converted into valuable resources that help reduce reliance on ground resupply. Due to the high-pressure nature of the Sabatier and Bosch reactions, the vent gas from most CO2 removal systems will need to be compressed before it can be processed. In order to prevent condensation in the compressor of the recovery system, it is critical to ensure that the vent stream from the CO2 removal system does not contain an excess of water. There are currently three different CO2 removal systems that are being developed as candidates for exploration missions. Each of these systems will be evaluated as a technology demonstration on ISS, and vent gas samples will be collected in Summa sampling canisters fitted with Entech valves. Due to the need to measure low levels of water in these samples, it was not possible to use the current ISS miniature grab sample containers (GSCs) to collect these samples. The Summa containers, which were used to collect archive samples during Shuttle missions, have a different surface treatment that makes it possible to measure the low levels of water in samples collected in these containers. This paper will provide some background on the CO2 removal systems being evaluated for exploration missions as well as results from ground-based testing of the current miniature GSCs and Summa canisters. Details on the development of the analytical method and the plan for preparing the canisters that will be used for in-flight sampling are also discussed.

Steven W Beck↗