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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 919 records · Page 51
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

The rhizosphere microbiome of burned holm-oak: potential role of the genus Arthrobacter in the recovery of burned soils

After a forest wildfire, the microbial communities have a transient alteration in their composition. The role of the soil microbial community in the recovery of an ecosystem following such an event remains poorly understood. Thus, it is necessary to understand the plant-microbe interactions that occur in burned soils. By high-throughput sequencing, we identified the main bacterial taxa of burnt holm-oak rhizosphere, then we obtained an isolate collection of the most abundant genus and its growth promoting activities were characterised. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing showed that the genus Arthrobacter comprised more than 21% of the total community. 55 Arthrobacter strains were isolated and characterized using RAPDs and sequencing of the almost complete 16S rRNA gene. Our results indicate that isolated Arthrobacter strains present a very high genetic diversity, and they could play an important ecological role in interaction with the host plant by enhancing aerial growth. Most of the selected strains exhibited a great ability to degrade organic polymers in vitro as well as possibly presenting a direct mechanism for plant growth promotion. Finally, all the above data suggests that Arthrobacter can be considered as an excellent PGP rhizobacterium that may play an important role in the recovery of burned holm-oak forests.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Adsorptive behavior of poly (vinylidene fluoride) membranes for the recovery of lignin-derived hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents

Abstract Recently, membrane technology has gained significant traction as an energy-efficient alternative to traditional thermal processes for solvent recovery. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as sustainable alternatives to conventional organic solvents, yet a systematic methodology for selecting compatible membrane materials for their recovery remains underdeveloped. This study established a predictive framework for membrane material selection in hydrophobic DES applications using Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSP) with inverted criteria targeting materials with relative energy difference (RED) values greater than 1.0. Flat sheet membranes were fabricated via the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique. Four NIPS fabricated polymer membranes were evaluated: polysulfone, cellulose acetate, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fabricated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a pore-forming agent, and polybenzimidazole (PBI). The HSP approach successfully predicted membrane-solvent compatibility, with polysulfone (RED = 0.6) and cellulose acetate (RED = 0.9) dissolving completely within 24 h, while PVDF (RED = 1.9) and PBI (RED = 1.1) maintained structural integrity throughout a 7-day exposure period. Furthermore, PVDF demonstrated superior performance with minimal weight gain (3.0%), hydrophobic surface characteristics (122° water contact angle), and enhanced mechanical properties following DES exposure. Comprehensive chemical and morphological characterization confirmed PVDF’s chemical stability and revealed a surface-selective interaction mechanism involving simultaneous PEG (pore-forming agent) extraction and DES component adsorption. Adsorption kinetics followed pseudo-first-order behavior with reversible characteristics, best described by the Temkin isotherm model (R² = 0.9987). PVDF membranes-maintained separation functionality with average lignin rejection (75.2 ± 7.69%) and demonstrated filtration permeability of 2.0 ± 0.34 LMH/bar. This methodology provides a rational approach for membrane selection in emerging solvent systems, contributing to the advancement of sustainable separation technologies for DES-based biomass processing applications.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Energy-recovery linacs for energy-efficient particle acceleration

Energy Recovery Linacs (ERLs) are inherently energy-efficient because the RF power needed for acceleration is recovered during deceleration. Energy recovery enables extremely high-power beams which are not economically or ecologically possible using a simple Linac. The fundamental technology is not new but has taken on an increased importance in recent years. Here in this Review, I describe the positive aspects of the technology, the areas that are under active study to improve the overall efficiency, and areas that still need further R&D. The need for validation of the entire system will be explained and the active proposals described.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Glass-like recovery of antiferromagnetic spin ordering in a photo-excited manganite Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3

Electronic orderings of charges, orbitals and spins are observed in many strongly correlated electron materials, and revealing their dynamics is a critical step toward understanding the underlying physics of important emergent phenomena. Here we use time-resolved resonant soft x-ray scattering spectroscopy to probe the dynamics of antiferromagnetic spin ordering in the manganite Pr0:7Ca0:3MnO3 following ultrafast photo-exitation. Our studies reveal a glass-like recovery of the spin ordering and a crossover in the dimensionality of the restoring interaction from quasi-1D at low pump fluence to 3D at high pump fluence. This behavior arises from the metastable state created by photo-excitation, a state characterized by spin disordered metallic droplets within the larger charge- and spin-ordered insulating domains. Comparison with time-resolved resistivity measurements suggests that the collapse of spin ordering is correlated with the insulator-to-metal transition, but the recovery of the insulating phase does not depend on the re-establishment of the spin ordering.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Autogenic succession and deterministic recovery following disturbance in soil bacterial communities

The response of bacterial communities to environmental change may affect local to global nutrient cycles; however the dynamics of these communities following disturbance are poorly understood, and are generally attributed to abiotic factors. Here, we subjected soil microcosms to a heat disturbance and followed the community composition of active bacteria over 50 days of recovery. Phylogenetic turnover patterns indicated that biotic interactions shaped the community during recovery, and that the disturbance imposed a strong selective pressure that persisted for up to 10 days, after which the importance of stochastic processes increased. Three successional stages were detected: a primary response (1-4 days after disturbance) in which surviving taxa increased in abundance; a secondary response phase (10-29 days), during which community dynamics slowed down, and a stability phase (after 29 days), during which the community tended towards its original composition. Furthermore, soil bacterial communities, despite their extreme diversity and functional redundancy, respond to disturbances like many macroecological systems and exhibit path-dependent, autogenic dynamics during secondary succession.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Surface Functionalized Nanostructured Ceramic Sorbents for the Effective Collection and Recovery of Uranium from Seawater

The ability to collect uranium from seawater offers the potential for a nearly limitless fuel supply for nuclear energy. We evaluated the use of functionalized nanostructured sorbents for the collection and recovery of uranium from seawater. Extraction of trace minerals from seawater and brines is challenging due to the high ionic strength of seawater, low mineral concentrations, and fouling of surfaces over time. We demonstrate that rationally assembled sorbent materials that integrate high affinity surface chemistry and high surface area nanostructures into an application relevant micro/macro structure enables collection performance that far exceeds typical sorbent materials. High surface area nanostructured silica with surface chemistries composed of phosphonic acid, phosphonates, 3,4 hydroxypyridinone, and EDTA showed superior performance for uranium collection. A few phosphorous-based commercial resins, specifically Diphonix and Ln Resin, also performed well. We demonstrate an effective and environmentally benign method of stripping the uranium from the high affinity sorbents using inexpensive nontoxic carbonate solutions. The cyclic use of preferred sorbents and acidic reconditioning of materials was shown to improve performance. Composite thin films composed of the nanostructured sorbents and a porous polymer binder are shown to have excellent kinetics and good capacity while providing an effective processing configuration for trace mineral recovery from solutions. Initial work using the composite thin films shows significant improvements in processing capacity over the previously reported sorbent materials.

green mining↗
DOE OSTI2019

Seasonal treatment and economic evaluation of an algal wastewater system for energy and nutrient recovery

Algal systems have been proposed for treating wastewater while simultaneously recovering energy and nutrients. In this study, an integrated system with algal treatment of municipal wastewater followed by hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) conversion and upgrading steps was evaluated. Pilot-scale treatment of primary clarified municipal wastewater effluent was evaluated in different seasons (cold, warm, and a transitional period in between) with different strains of algae selected for each season, and the warm season strain successfully met all local discharge regulations. The collected wastewater algae biomass was subjected to HTL at 300 and 350 °C and both energy and nutrient recoveries were much improved at the higher temperature. The transitional batch was found to have the highest biocrude oil yields, and its co-products had the highest nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) contents. Economic analysis of conversion processes informed by the observed HTL product yields was conducted. While this revealed that targeting biofuel products alone was not profitable, adding nutrient co-products (e.g., ammonium sulfate fertilizer), adjusting algae harvesting time, and incorporating component-specific conversion processes could substantially improve system economics. Overall, this study highlights connections between treatment and conversion processes, and demonstrates how these connections can be leveraged for more efficient resource recovery without compromising treatment operations.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Plastic recovery and self-healing in longitudinally twinned SiGe nanowires

This paper reports on plastic recovery and self-healing behavior in longitudinally-twinned and [112] orientated SiGe nanowire (NW) beams when they are subjected to large bending strains. The NW alloys are comprised of lamellar nanotwin platelet(s) sandwiched between two semi-cylindrical twins. The loading curves, which are acquired from atomic force microscope (AFM) based three-point bending tests, reveal the onset of plastic deformation at a characteristic stress threshold, followed by further straining of the NWs. This ductility is attributed to dislocation activity within the semi-cylindrical crystal portions of the NW, which are hypothesized to undergo a combination of elastic and plastic straining. On the other hand, the lamellar nanoplatelets undergo purely elastic stretching. During the unloading process, the release of internal elastic stresses enables dislocation backflow and escape at the surface. As a result, the dislocations are predominantly annihilated and the NW samples evidenced self-healing via plastic recovery even at ultra-large strains, which are estimated using finite-element models at 16.3% in one of the tested devices. Finite element analysis also establishes the independence of the observed nanomechanical behavior on the relative orientation of the load with respect to the nanoplatelet. This first observation of reversible plasticity in the SiGe material system, which is aided by a concurrent evolution of segmented elastic and plastic deformation within its grains during the loading process, presents an important new pathway for mechanical stabilization of technologically important group-IV semiconductor nanomaterials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Layered zinc hydroxide as an adsorbent for phosphate removal and recovery from wastewater

At present, phosphate removal and recovery from wastewater is gaining wide attention due to the dual issues of eutrophication, caused by the increased production of algae, and universal phosphorus scarcity. In this study, a layered zinc hydroxide (LZH) was synthesized by a simple precipitation method and characterized via various techniques. Experiments investigating the effect of contact time, pH, LZH dose, initial phosphate concentration, and co-existing ions on phosphate adsorption were conducted. LZH exhibited a high phosphate adsorption capacity (135.4 mg g -1 ) at a neutral pH. More than 50% of phosphate was removed within the first 60 s of contact time at an initial phosphate concentration of 5 mg L -1 . Phosphate removal using the as-prepared LZH adsorbent was also tested in real treated sewage effluent reducing the residual phosphate amount to levels inhibiting to the growth of algae. Furthermore, phosphate desorption from LZH was investigated using acetic acid and sodium hydroxide regenerants which showed to be very effective for phosphate recovery.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Recovery of terephthalic acid from solar PV backsheets using waste solvent from distilled spirits production

Current research on solar photovoltaic (PV) recycling mainly focuses on recovering valuable metals and glass, often neglecting the polymeric components, particularly the backsheets, which are typically landfilled or thermally decomposed. This study explores an innovative approach to upcycle PV backsheets into value-added products, specifically terephthalic acid (TPA), using waste ethanol solvent from the distilled spirits industry. Experimental results show that increasing both exposure time and ethanol concentration significantly enhances backsheet delamination efficiency. Using waste ethanol, a maximum delamination efficiency of 80% was achieved at room temperature after 24 hours. In decomposition trials, both sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) demonstrated comparable efficiencies (96.6–97.5%) over 8 and 24 hour reactions. With virgin ethanol, NaOH yielded 94–97.5% TPA recovery. Notably, using waste ethanol achieved a TPA recovery efficiency of 96.8%, underscoring the process's economic viability and sustainability. Analytical characterization of TPA recovered after 8 hours showed consistent spectral patterns across both alkalis and solvents, indicating a similar chemical environment and functional groups. The recovered TPA can be repolymerized into high-purity PET, suitable for manufacturing new PV backsheets. This work advances polymer-recycling by demonstrating that an industrial waste solvent (distilled-spirits ‘heads’) can replace virgin ethanol without loss in delamination performance or TPA yield. While PV backsheet PET is a modest share of global PET, using waste ethanol to upcycle this currently under-recycled stream demonstrates a transferable solvent-reuse pathway that can extend to higher-volume PET sources.

Nain, Preeti [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Recovery of image distorted by turbulent atmosphere using phase-conjugate image generated by difference frequency generation

We demonstrate dynamic recovery of blurred images caused by atmospheric turbulence. In particular, using a phase-conjugate wave generated by a second-order nonlinear crystal or composite, we restore the original quality of the image after the optical radiation forming the image propagates through the turbulent atmosphere. One of the key elements for our experiment is a rotating phase plate being placed in the beam path for simulating turbulent atmosphere. Using the nonlinear composite, we demonstrate that the image recovery is insensitive to the polarization of the optical radiation forming the image.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Vacuum system of the compact Energy Recovery Linac

The compact Energy Recovery Linac (cERL), a test accelerator to establish important technologies demanded for future ERL-based light sources, was constructed in late 2013 at KEK. The accelerator was successfully commissioned in early 2014, and demonstrated beam circulation with energy recovery. In the cERL vacuum system, low-impedance vacuum components are required to circulate high-intensity, low-emittance and short-bunch electron beams. We therefore developed ultra-high-vacuum (UHV)-compatible flanges that can connect beam tubes seamlessly, and employed retractable beam monitors, namely, a movable Faraday cup and screen monitors. In most parts of the accelerator, pressures below 1×10{sup −7} Pa are required to mitigate beam-gas interactions. Particularly, near the photocathode electron gun and the superconducting (SC) cavities, pressures below 1×10{sup −8} Pa are required. The beam tubes in the sections adjoining the SC cavities were coated with non-evaporable getter (NEG) materials, to reduce gas condensation on the cryo-surfaces. During the accelerator commissioning, stray magnetic fields from the permanent magnets of some cold cathode gauges (CCGs) were identified as a source of the disturbance to the beam orbit. Magnetic shielding was specially designed as a remedy for this issue.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Sample test array and recovery (STAR) platform at the National Ignition Facility

We have developed the Sample Test Array and Recovery (STAR) platform for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) for studying the thermal and hydrodynamic responses of materials in extreme environments. The STAR platform expands the range of obtainable fluences and quadruples the rate that materials experiments can be conducted at the NIF. Example configurations are demonstrated for fluences spanning 0.56–34 J/cm 2 with environmental isolation for post-shot material recovery and inspection and up to 1740 J/cm 2 without isolation, with surface heating rates of up to 2 × 10 14 K/s. Lastly, an example experiment involving thermally driven shock and spallation of aluminum alloy 7075 is briefly discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Laser-heated diamond anvil cell synthesis and recovery of metastable MnSb 2 and YbZn 2 for post-synthesis transport studies

The creation and exploration of new materials under extreme pressure–temperature conditions has become increasingly reliant on laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) techniques, which provide direct access to previously unexplored regions of multinary phase diagrams. Whereas numerous high-pressure phases have been identified in situ, systematic recovery and post-synthesis physical property characterization of these materials remain significant challenges. In this work, we describe the setup and implementation of an LHDAC-based synthesis and recovery workflow and demonstrate its application to metastable MnSb 2 and YbZn 2 phases. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction and spatial mapping confirm dominant formation of the targeted phases, whereas laboratory-based refinement quantifies phase fractions despite intrinsic microstrain and minor secondary phases. High-pressure transport measurements on recovered samples reveal pressure-tunable electronic instabilities in both systems. In MnSb 2 , pressure suppresses two high-temperature magnetic ordering anomalies, observed in transport, by ∼5 GPa and, for higher pressures, induces a new low-temperature feature that increases with further pressure increase. In hexagonal high-pressure YbZn 2 , an electronic reconstruction emerges at ∼11 GPa, characterized by semiconducting-like behavior from ∼30 to 300 K and a broad low-temperature coherence crossover near 30 K. Our results establish LHDAC synthesis not only as a structural discovery tool but also as an experimental platform for investigating correlated quantum states stabilized far from equilibrium thermodynamic conditions.

Huyan, S. [Iowa State University, Ames, IA (United↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of recovery time of nonlinear absorber saturated losses on the soliton pulse structure in a fibre laser with different cavity lengths

Using numerical simulation methods, we have calculated the dependences of the pulse profile and spectrum of a ring fibre laser in the region of anomalous group velocity dispersion on the length of the laser cavity and the recovery time of the nonlinear absorber saturated losses. It is found that with increasing cavity length the laser pulse acquires a pedestal, the positions of its edges corresponding to the frequencies of the Kelly sidebands. It is shown that the finiteness of the recovery time of the saturable absorber leads to an asymmetry in the profile and spectrum of the laser pulse. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

Best recovery of the Laplace operator of a function from incomplete spectral data

This paper is concerned with the problem of best recovery for a fractional power of the Laplacian of a smooth function on R{sup d} from an exact or approximate Fourier transform for it, which is known on some convex subset of R{sup d}. A series of optimal recovery methods is constructed. Information about the Fourier transform outside some ball centred at the origin proves redundant--it is not used by the optimal methods. These optimal methods differ in the way they 'process' key information. Bibliography: 12 titles.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2014

Optimal recovery of linear operators in non-Euclidean metrics

The paper looks at problems concerning the recovery of operators from noisy information in non-Euclidean metrics. A number of general theorems are proved and applied to recovery problems for functions and their derivatives from the noisy Fourier transform. In some cases, a family of optimal methods is found, from which the methods requiring the least amount of original information are singled out. Bibliography: 25 titles.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗