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At least 91 records · Page 5

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.

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

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

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 two 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 for ground analysis. Due to the need to measure low levels of water in these samples, it was not possible to use the current ISS mini-grab sample containers (m-GSC) 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 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.

William M. King

Development of a pyrolysis waste recovery model with designs, test plans, and applications for space-based habitats

Extensive literature searches revealed the numerous advantages of using pyrolysis as a means of recovering usable resources from inedible plant biomass, paper, plastics, other polymers, and human waste. A possible design of a pyrolysis reactor with test plans and applications for use on a space-based habitat are proposed. The proposed system will accommodate the wastes generated by a four-person crew while requiring solar energy as the only power source. Waste materials will be collected and stored during the 15-day lunar darkness periods. Resource recovery will occur during the daylight periods. Usable gases such as methane and hydrogen and a solid char will be produced while reducing the mass and volume of the waste to almost infinitely small levels. The system will be operated economically, safely, and in a non-polluting manner.

Roberson, Bobby J.

Mechanistic mass transfer in hollow fiber membrane solvent extraction for bio-based isobutanol

Membrane solvent extraction (MSE) has emerged as a promising method for selectively recovering bioproducts from complex aqueous streams. Bio-isobutanol, a next-generation feedstock for biofuel, remains challenging to recover because of its low concentration and the presence of inhibitory substances. This study explores the potential of hollow fiber (HF) MSE for bio-isobutanol recovery and systematically examines the coupled effects of fiber packing, shell-side flow dynamics, and aqueous chemistry on performance. A resistance-in-series model is applied to understand mass transfer in the HF MSE modules, quantify local resistances, and validate overall performance. The results show that increasing the fiber packing provides a larger interfacial area but induces poor flow distribution and channeling, hindering effective isobutanol transport. Meanwhile, increasing the shell-side velocity improves isobutanol recovery due to reductions in the boundary layer thickness. The presence of salts, added to mimic fermentation broth, increases the partition coefficient through salting-out effects, further improving isobutanol flux. A modified correlation for the shell-side mass transfer coefficient (k s,ϕ+v ), integrating geometric and hydrodynamic effects, was developed and validated. The proposed model achieves highly predictive accuracy (r 2 = 0.9808) across a wide range of conditions, outperforming previous models. The findings provide mechanistic insight into the interaction of geometric packing, hydrodynamics, and chemistry in governing mass transfer in HF MSE. Overall, this work demonstrates the potential of HF MSE for efficient bio-isobutanol recovery and also provides practical guidelines on critical factors (packing fraction, partition coefficient, and shell-side velocity), aiding in the design and scaling of MSE systems for resource recovery.

Aqueous chemistry

Energy-Efficient Selective Removal of Metal Ions from Mining Influenced Waters (MIW) Using H-Bonded Organic-Inorganic Framework (HOIFS) (CRADA Final Report)

The work developed a hydrogen-bonded organic–inorganic framework (HOIF), specifically zinc imidazole salicylaldoxime supramolecule (ZIOS), for selective Cu removal and recovery from acidic mining-impacted waters (AMD), with emphasis on scalable synthesis, membrane integration, durability in real AMD (RAMD), mechanistic understanding, and recovery/regeneration pathways. This research breaks new ground in selective resource recovery from AMD waters – no other sorbents can operate reliably in this pH range. This project is unique in what it has delivered and is of general use to the public for projects relating to critical materials recovery.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH

Alternative Treatment of Crew Wastewater Using a Hybrid Membrane Technology

Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) of future long-duration, deep-space human exploration missions should treat all “waste” streams for recovery and ideally by near closed-loop. Onboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Water Recovery System (WRS) does not treat urine and gray water to recover elements beyond water and utilizes physical-chemical technologies that operate with single-use and hazardous consumables. Urine offers a renewable source of nitrogen and other trace elements that can support sustainable crop production. In response to the lack of flight ready technologies capable of treating urine and gray water for water and nutrient recovery, a Suspended Aerobic Membrane Bioreactor (SAMBR) is under development between the University of South Florida and Kennedy Space Center. SAMBR is optimized for an early planetary base/partial gravity habitat and serves as a hybrid alternative to currently utilized urine treatment technologies and support closing the resource recovery loop. With its ECLSS minded form factor and modular design, SAMBR’s operation can be customized to suit the treatment objectives (i.e., nitrogen conversion) at that time. This proceeding presents preliminary research pertaining to: 1) design challenges in maximizing hydraulic throughput while minimizing mass and volume of the assembly; 2) capabilities for treating high nitrogen waste under steady and non-steady state conditions; and 3) measured performance parameters such chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrogen conversion, nutrients, turbidity, and system throughput. Future research and development pertaining to further optimization on system safety, reliability, and expanded treatment capabilities will also be presented.

Membrane Filtration

Recycling Wind Energy Systems in the United States Part 1: Providing a Baseline for America's Wind Energy Recycling Infrastructure for Wind Turbines and Systems

The U.S. investments in building this new wind energy capacity will not only mobilize millions of tons of raw and processed materials in existing supply chains, some of which are critical materials, but also create new types and large volumes of end-of-life (EOL) waste streams. Building efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible EOL management infrastructure of wind energy system components is pivotal in diverting upcoming volumes of waste stream from landfills, recovery of critical materials and reducing life cycle emissions from production of primary commodity materials . The primary goal of this report is to organize and communicate findings from this assessment on how alternate materials, designs and manufacturing processes could enable more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible disassembly and resource recovery from wind energy technologies. The findings of this assessment could inform prioritization of RD&D investment spending to meet Energy Act of 2020 directions. This assessment focused on key RD&D recommendations for three main temporal phases: Short-term (2023-2026), medium-term (2026 through 2035) and long-term (beyond 2035).

17 WIND ENERGY

Hyperspectral imaging for real-time waste materials characterization and recovery using endmember extraction and abundance detection

Hyperspectral imaging, combined with advanced spectral unmixing techniques and artificial intelligence, offers a powerful solution for improving material identification and classification. Here, this study evaluates the effectiveness of the pixel purity index and the sequential maximum angle convex cone algorithms in extracting and validating spectral signatures from pure samples of paper components (cellulose and lignin) and plastic (polypropylene). Principal-component analysis showed that both algorithms captured nearly all relevant variance for the tested materials. Spectral signatures were compared using the spectral angle mapper, revealing high similarity in the short-wave infrared region and greater variability in the visible near-infrared range. The methodology was then applied to a disposable coffee cup to detect and quantify mixed materials, accurately estimating material abundance and object area with less than 1% error. This approach enhances material classification, supporting product verification, quality control, and automated sorting for sustainable waste management and resource recovery.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Design Rules for Life Support Systems

This paper considers some of the common assumptions and engineering rules of thumb used in life support system design. One general design rule is that the longer the mission, the more the life support system should use recycling and regenerable technologies. A more specific rule is that, if the system grows more than half the food, the food plants will supply all the oxygen needed for the crew life support. There are many such design rules that help in planning the analysis of life support systems and in checking results. These rules are typically if-then statements describing the results of steady-state, "back of the envelope," mass flow calculations. They are useful in identifying plausible candidate life support system designs and in rough allocations between resupply and resource recovery. Life support system designers should always review the design rules and make quick steady state calculations before doing detailed design and dynamic simulation. This paper develops the basis for the different assumptions and design rules and discusses how they should be used. We start top-down, with the highest level requirement to sustain human beings in a closed environment off Earth. We consider the crew needs for air, water, and food. We then discuss atmosphere leakage and recycling losses. The needs to support the crew and to make up losses define the fundamental life support system requirements. We consider the trade-offs between resupplying and recycling oxygen, water, and food. The specific choices between resupply and recycling are determined by mission duration, presence of in-situ resources, etc., and are defining parameters of life support system design.

Jones, Harry

Characterization of the Water Soluble Component of Inedible Residue from Candidate CELSS Crops

Recycling of inorganic nutrients required for plant growth will be a necessary component of a fully closed, bioregenerative life support system. This research characterized the recovery of plant nutrients from the inedible fraction of three crop types (wheat, potato, and soybean) by soaking, or leaching, in water. A considerable portion of the dry weight of the inedible biomass was readily soluble (29 percent for soybean, 43 percent for wheat, and 52 percent for potato). Greater weight loss from potato was a result of higher tissue concentrations of potassium, nitrate, and phosphate. Approximately 25 percent of the organic content of the biomass was water soluble, while the majority of most inorganic nutrients, except for calcium and iron, were recovered in the leachate. Direct use of the leachates in hydroponic media could provide between 40-90 percent of plant nutrient demands for wheat, and 20-50 percent of demand for soybean and potato. Further evaluation of leaching as a component of resource recovery scheme in a bioregenerative system requires study of (1) utilization of plant leachates in hydroponic plant culture; and (2) conversion of organic material (both soluble and insoluble) into edible, or other useful, products.

Garland, Jay

Bringing Alaska's Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) into Perspective

The final report outlines the outcomes of the Alaska CORE-CM Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy under award DE-FE0032050. Led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, with assistance from other organizations, the project assessed Alaska's potential for Carbon Ore, Rare Earth Elements, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM). Leveraging advanced analytical techniques, the project identified high-potential resource basins, evaluated geochemical and satellite data, and conducted targeted field investigations. Findings revealed promising concentrations of critical minerals in legacy samples and newly collected materials. The project also investigated innovative extraction technologies, including BioExtraction and use of supercritical CO2, which show significant promise for sustainable resource recovery. Additionally, the study explored the reuse of waste streams from active mining operations and coal byproducts such as using alkali-activated coal ash to manufacture concrete. Infrastructure and logistical challenges in Alaska’s remote regions are discussed, alongside strategies to establish a Technology Innovation Center aimed at advancing CORE-CM development in Alaska. The report includes actionable insights to support Alaska’s critical role in securing domestic supplies of essential minerals while addressing economic, environmental, and technological challenges.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT

Extraction of Oxygen from the Martian Atmosphere

A mechanical process was designed for direct extraction of molecular oxygen from the martian atmosphere based on liquefaction of the majority component, CO2, followed by separation of the lower-boiling components. The atmospheric gases are compressed from about 0.007 bar to 13 bar and then cooled to liquefy most of the CO2. The uncondensed gases are further compressed to 30 bar or more, and then cooled again to recover water as ice and to remove much of the remaining CO2. The final gaseous products consisting mostly of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon monoxide are liquefied and purified by cryogenic distillation. The liquefied CO2 is expanded back to the low-pressure atmosphere with the addition of heat to recover a majority of the compression energy and to produce the needed mechanical work. Energy for the process is needed primarily as heat to drive the CO2-based expansion power system. When properly configured, the extraction process can be a net producer of electricity. The conceptual design, termed 'MARRS' for Mars Atmosphere Resource Recovery System, was based on the NASA/JSC Mars Reference Mission (MRM) requirement for oxygen. This mission requires both liquid oxygen for propellant, and gaseous oxygen as a component of air for the mission crew. With single redundancy both for propellant and crew air, the oxygen requirement for the MRM is estimated at 5.8 kg/hr. The process thermal power needed is about 120 kW, which can be provided at 300-500 C. A lower-cost nuclear reactor made largely of stainless steel could serve as the heat source. The chief development needed for MARRS is an efficient atmospheric compression technology, all other steps being derived from conventional chemical engineering separations. The conceptual design describes an exceptionally low-mass compression system that can be made from ultra-lightweight and deployable structures. This system adapts to the rapidly changing martian environment to supply the atmospheric resource to MARRS at constant conditions.

England, C.

Complex Adsorption Behavior of Neodymium and Ytterbium on Structurally-Distinct Alumina Surfaces

New sources of rare earth elements (REEs) are needed to support a green energy transition. REEs adsorbed to aluminum-rich clays in weathering deposits represent important resources but the mechanisms responsible for their retention and ease of extraction are unresolved. Disordered coordination and co-occurrence of multiple species pose challenges to investigating REE adsorption processes via established spectroscopic methods. In this study, we applied element-specific surface crystallography methods to obtain a new perspective on the complexity of REE adsorption mechanisms and affinities. Alumina (001) and (012) crystal surfaces were utilized to evaluate surface-specific controls on Nd(III) and Yb(III) adsorption behavior. The REEs displayed similar total adsorption to alumina (001) as a mixture of inner- and outer-sphere complexes, but Nd displayed a greater proportion of inner-sphere binding. Adsorption of ordered inner- and outer-sphere REE species was substantially lower on alumina (012). These distinct behaviors reflect differences in the surface functional group charging and topography of the two surfaces. However, alumina (012) also hosted a substantial population of disordered adsorbed species, especially for Nd, potentially associated with Al vacancy surface defects. Here, the accumulation of light versus heavy REEs via adsorption in weathering deposits likely results from multiple, competing reactions affected by clay particle morphology. Leaching procedures for resource recovery should account for differential rates of desorption by coexisting inner- and outer-sphere REE surface complexes.

58 GEOSCIENCES

Site-specific Design Case Study for Wet Waste Hydrothermal Liquefaction and Biocrude Upgrading to Hydrocarbon Fuels

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a thermal process that converts wet biomass to renewable hydrocarbon fuel blendstocks (i.e., renewable naphtha, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)). It can utilize a wide range of pure and blended wet feedstocks, including sewage sludge from water resource recovery facilities (WRRF), food and agriculture wastes, algae, fats, oils and greases (FOG) and blends of dry and wet wastes/feedstocks. Historically, techno-economic analysis (TEA) and annual state of technology (SOT) assessments with standard economic assumptions used by the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) were conducted for the wet waste HTL pathway leveraging experimental data collected from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) continuous flow reactor systems. The objective of the SOT assessment has been to guide and track progress of BETO’s HTL research and development (R&D) toward reduced cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the pathway. However, gaps exist between BETO’s traditional SOT updates and the needs of key external stakeholders that – if addressed – will accelerate technology adoption. This Business Case Study aims to bridge this gap by providing an updated design, TEA, and LCA based on PNNL’s FY23 R&D with added analyses and information that provide enhanced relevance for stakeholders of the HTL technology. This includes specific siting, regional wet waste resource inventory and transportation cost analyses, fuel market information, sustainable fuel policy impacts, economic metrics of net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions analysis, and statistical analysis of cost and technical uncertainties of the HTL plant design. The study focuses on the “Detroit combined statistical area (CSA)” region for siting of a wet waste HTL plant adjacent to the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) facility with guidance from industry participants. Regional resource and siting analyses were conducted to identify feedstock availability, scale, and cost, as well as a beneficial site location. TEA with detailed rigorous capital cost estimation for the specific site application was conducted to evaluate the key economic metrics of most value to industrial partners. These include total capital investment, operating costs, minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) of the biocrude and fuel blendstock, and NPV and internal rate of return IRR with sustainable fuel credits. Life cycle analysis was conducted to evaluate the supply chain greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the wet waste HTL process as compared with petroleum derived diesel. This study is also informed by years of R&D and process de-risking learnings and was conducted with a basic engineering HTL plant design and costing that akin to a “first-of-a-kind” plant economics. This differs from our conventional “nth plant ” SOT assessments. Specifically, the HTL process model has been updated with more operationally reliable methods for feed heating and phase separations. Further, we have implemented additional spare equipment for redundancy, a more rigorous installed equipment cost estimation approach, and additional costs associated with feed formatting and delivery, building, piping and site development. An Excel-based cost sheet based on the basic engineering design is also released alongside the report that allows users to conduct customized TEA with their own feed composition and financial assumptions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS

Transportability of exogenous microbial community correlates with interwell connectivity in deep aquifers

Subsurface resource engineering operations often utilize continuous injection of externally-sourced water into geological reservoirs for formation pressure maintenance, resource recovery or energy/waste storage. Such injected water generally contains naturally occurring microbes. Little is known, however, about how the injectate microbes transport through geological media as a community, how such transportability is affected by injector-producer connectivity, and whether such knowledge can be utilized for flowpath characterization. In this study, we analyzed daily-to-weekly timeseries microbial community data from the injected- and produced-fluids of a ten-month flow test at a deep, well-characterized engineered aquifer. We found that the injectate microbial community was distinct from the indigenous community at the amplicon sequence variant (ASV) level, and that the transportability of injectate community towards a given producer, quantified by an “nASV-Overlap” metric we propose, had strong and significant positive correlation with known injector-producer connectivities at our site. This suggests that the better the connectivity, the higher the probability for more injectate species to flow through the interwell region and arrive at a producer. Because interwell connectivity is an important yet usually unknown parameter in subsurface resource engineering, such correlation in turn points to nASV-Overlap as a useful indicator of interwell connectivity for aquifer characterization and long-term monitoring. Based on our findings, an nASV-Overlap-based microbial tracing approach was developed for characterizing and monitoring the relative connectivities across multiple producers with a given injector. A side-by-side comparison between the new nASV-Overlap approach and traditional artificial tracer methods is presented, and their respective strengths and limitations are discussed.

Deep biosphere

Carbonation and Sulfidation of Mg- and Ni-Containing Solutions: Implications for Carbon Mineralization and Critical Element Recovery

Carbonation of alkaline earth metals ( e.g. , magnesium (Mg)) and sulfidation of nickel (Ni) are promising methods to achieve concurrent carbon mineralization and selective Ni recovery. However, the coexistence of alkaline earth metals and Ni from silicate ores or mining wastewater complicates the carbonation and sulfidation owing to cation coprecipitation. To better understand simultaneous metal carbonation and Ni-sulfide formation, we used Mg- and Ni-containing solutions and systematically investigated the Mg and Ni coprecipitates’ phase transformation during sequential/concurrent carbonation and sulfidation. During a single carbonation process, hydromagnesite dehydrated and formed magnesite over time. Nickel bicarbonate formed and became a Mg–Ni carbonate solid solution because of their similar ionic radii. During a single sulfidation process, the pH did not affect Ni-sulfide formation, but it controlled Mg behavior. Specifically, at pH 9.6, brucite formed, while at pH 7.8, Mg 2+ remained in the solution. For the sequential carbonation–sulfidation process, Ni-carbonate formed during carbonation converted to Ni-sulfide because of the low Ni-sulfide K sp . For the sulfidation–carbonation process, Ni-sulfide remained the same even after carbonation and Mg-carbonate precipitates. For the concurrent carbonation and sulfidation process, Mg-carbonate and Ni-sulfide formed simultaneously. Finally, this study develops a scientific foundation of carbonation and sulfidation processes, benefiting coupled CO 2 storage and sulfide-enabled resource recovery.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES