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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 127 records · Page 7

Tea consumption and risk of bladder cancer in the Bladder Cancer Epidemiology and Nutritional Determinants (BLEND) Study: Pooled analysis of 12 international cohort studies

Tea has been shown to be associated with reduced risk of several diseases including cardiovascular diseases, stroke, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. However, the results on the relationship between tea consumption and bladder cancer are conflicting. This research aimed to assess the association between tea consumption and risk of bladder cancer using a pooled analysis of prospective cohort data. Individual data from 532,949 participants in 12 cohort studies, were pooled for analyses. Cox regression models stratified by study centre was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% CIs. Fractional polynomial regression models were used to examine the dose–response relationship. A higher level of tea consumption was associated with lower risk of bladder cancer incidence (compared with no tea consumption: HR = 0.87, 95% C.I. = 0.77–0.98 for low consumption; HR = 0.86, 95% C.I. = 0.77–0.96 for moderate consumption; HR = 0.84, 95% C.I. = 0.75–0.95 for high consumption). When stratified by sex and smoking status, this reduced risk was statistically significant among men and current and former smokers. In addition, dose–response analyses showed a lower bladder cancer risk with increment of 100 ml of tea consumption per day (HR-increment = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.96–0.98). A similar inverse association was found among males, current and former smokers while never smokers and females showed non-significant results, suggesting potential sex-dependent effect. Higher consumption of tea is associated with reduced risk of bladder cancer with potential interaction with sex and smoking status. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms for a protective effect of tea (e.g. inhibition of the survival and proliferation of cancer cells and anti-inflammatory mechanisms) and its interaction with smoking and sex.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Coastal inundation regime moderates the short-term effects of sediment and soil additions on seawater oxygen and greenhouse gas dynamics: a microcosm experiment

The frequency and persistence of tidal inundation varies along the coastal terrestrial-aquatic interface, from frequently inundated wetlands to rarely inundated upland forests. This inundation gradient controls soil and sediment biogeochemistry and influence the exchange of soils and sediments from terrestrial to aquatic domains. Although a rich literature exist on studies of the influence of tidal waters on the biogeochemistry of coastal ecosystem soils, few studies have experimentally addressed the reverse question: How do soils (or sediments) from different coastal ecosystems influence the biogeochemistry of the tidal waters that inundate them? To better understand initial responses of coastal waters that flood coastal wetlands and uplands, we conducted short-term laboratory experiments where seawater was amended with sediments and soils collected across regional gradients of inundation exposure (i.e., frequently to rarely inundated) for 14 sites across the Mid-Atlantic, USA. Measured changes in dissolved oxygen and greenhouse gas concentrations were used to calculate gas consumption or production rates occurring during seawater exposure to terrestrial materials. We also measured soil and water physical and chemical properties to explore potential drivers. We observed higher oxygen consumption rates for seawater incubated with soils/sediments from frequently inundated locations and higher carbon dioxide production for seawater incubated with soils from rarely inundated transect locations. Incubations with soil from rarely inundated sites produced the highest global warming potential, primarily driven by carbon dioxide and secondarily by nitrous oxide. We also found environmental drivers of gas rates varied notably between transect locations. Our findings indicate that seawater responses to soil and sediment inputs across coastal terrestrial-aquatic interfaces exhibit some consistent patterns and high intra- and inter-site variability, suggesting potential biogeochemical feedback loops as inundation regimes shift inland.

coastal inundation↗

Long-Term Assessment of Commercial Building Energy and Carbon Emissions in the Northwestern Region Under Future Weather Trend

The future climate significantly impacts building performance and increases uncertainties in energy simulations. A rising temperature trend is expected to heighten cooling loads during summer and result in more carbon emissions. Understanding the impact of future climate on building performance is significant for policymakers to make informed decisions. Building retrofit measures can improve building energy efficiency and reduce operational carbon emissions, yet their effects under future climate conditions have not been fully investigated so far. Thus, we proposed an assessment methodology for evaluating long-term energy consumption and operational carbon reduction potential using a building stock dataset. For this study, commercial buildings in the northwestern (NW) region were utilized to assess the impacts of future climate and building retrofit. In addition, we selected Montana with a cold and dry climate as an example to analyze and discuss the carbon emission reduction potential in buildings. The main findings are: (1) Under future climate trends, changes in energy use intensity (EUI) will fluctuate due to variations in heating and cooling degree-days (HDDs and CDDs) and increasing HDDs will lead to increasing EUI. (2) After applying annual building retrofitting, the long-term EUI reduction potential of buildings in the NW region will decrease with the increasing retrofitting degree, and the short-term EUI reduction potential will be impacted by the change of heating and cooling degree days. (3) In Montana, the long-term carbon intensity reduction potential of retrofitted buildings will decrease under future climate trends with the increasing renewable energy penetration.

building energy modeling↗

VEG-04 Pick-and-Eat Crop Production and Human Research on the International Space Station

Growing fresh, nutritious, palatable produce for crew consumption during spaceflight may provide health-promoting, bioavailable nutrients and enhance the astronaut dietary experience as we move toward longer-duration missions. Tending plants may also serve as a countermeasure for crew psychological stresses associated with spaceflight. However, requirements to support consistent growth of a variety of nutritious crops under spaceflight environmental conditions remain unclear. This study explores the potential to grow crops for consumption on the International Space Station (ISS) using the Veggie vegetable-production system. VEG-04A and B were two flight tests conducted in 2019 with the leafy green crop Mizuna mustard. Mizuna was grown in two Veggie chambers simultaneously, with the chambers set to different red-to-blue light formulations; one Veggie was programmed as “red-rich” and the second as “blue-rich.” Light quality is known to impact plant growth, nutrition, microbiology, and organoleptic characteristics on Earth, and the Veggie flight tests examined how these impacts might differ in microgravity. VEG-04A was a 35-day growth test with a single harvest. VEG-04B, a 58-day test with harvests at four, six, and eight weeks from the same plants, assessed sustained productivity. Challenges with the watering program occurred early during VEG-04A, and several plants failed to survive in both the flight and ground control operations. Thus, prior to VEG-04B, an extra test was conducted to tailor water timing and volumes. This test allowed a fine tuning of methods for VEG-04B, and generally plant survival was better in that experiment. At each harvest, the astronauts froze half of the edible plant tissue to return to Earth and weighed the remaining half using the ISS Mass Measurement Device (MMD). Weighed samples were then cleaned with produce-sanitizing wipes, and consenting crew members participated in organoleptic evaluation of the fresh produce. Organoleptic evaluations were conducted on the Mizuna crops grown in both light treatments, and data from these tests are compared to ground data collected at JSC. The remaining sanitized produce was available for crew consumption as desired. Frozen flight samples were returned for microbial and chemical analyses to assess food safety and nutritional quality. Microbial assessments included culturing and identifying aerobic bacteria, yeasts, and molds, and screening for specific human pathogens. Chemical nutrient analyses included assessing elements, antioxidants, and phenolics in plant tissues. Crew members involved in plant operations completed behavioral health surveys pre-flight, in-flight associated with plant growth and harvest activities, and post-flight. Surveys captured the amount of time spent on different plant-related operations, enjoyment of the different activities, engagement with Veggie, experience interacting with Veggie, and sensory stimulation associated with growing plants in Veggie.

Veggie↗

VEG-04 PICK-AND-EAT CROP PRODUCTION AND HUMAN RESEARCH ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

Growing fresh, nutritious, palatable produce for crew consumption during spaceflight may provide health-promoting, bioavailable nutrients and enhance the astronaut dietary experience as we move toward longer-duration missions. Tending plants may also serve as a countermeasure for crew psychological stresses associated with spaceflight. However, requirements to support consistent growth of a variety of nutritious crops under spaceflight environmental conditions remain unclear. This study explores the potential to grow crops for consumption on the International Space Station (ISS) using the Veggie vegetable-production system. VEG-04A and B were two flight tests conducted in 2019 with the leafy green crop Mizuna mustard. Mizuna was grown in two Veggie chambers simultaneously, with the chambers set to different red-to-blue light formulations; one Veggie was programmed as “red-rich” and the second as “blue-rich.” Light quality is known to impact plant growth, nutrition, microbiology, and organoleptic characteristics on Earth, and the Veggie flight tests examined how these impacts might differ in microgravity. VEG-04A was a 35-day growth test with a single harvest. VEG-04B, a 58-day test with harvests at four, six, and eight weeks from the same plants, assessed sustained productivity. Challenges with the watering program occurred early during VEG-04A, and several plants failed to survive in both the flight and ground control operations. Thus, prior to VEG-04B, an extra test was conducted to tailor water timing and volumes. This test allowed a fine tuning of methods for VEG-04B, and generally plant survival was better in that experiment. At each harvest, the astronauts froze half of the edible plant tissue to return to Earth and weighed the remaining half using the ISS Mass Measurement Device (MMD). Weighed samples were then cleaned with produce-sanitizing wipes, and consenting crew members participated in organoleptic evaluation of the fresh produce. Organoleptic evaluations were conducted on the Mizuna crops grown in both light treatments, and data from these tests are compared to ground data collected at JSC. The remaining sanitized produce was available for crew consumption as desired. Frozen flight samples were returned for microbial and chemical analyses to assess food safety and nutritional quality. Microbial assessments included culturing and identifying aerobic bacteria, yeasts, and molds, and screening for specific human pathogens. Chemical nutrient analyses included assessing elements, antioxidants, and phenolics in plant tissues. Crew members involved in plant operations completed behavioral health surveys pre-flight, in-flight associated with plant growth and harvest activities, and post-flight. Surveys captured the amount of time spent on different plant-related operations, enjoyment of the different activities, engagement with Veggie, experience interacting with Veggie, and sensory stimulation associated with growing plants in Veggie. Within each study, plant growth did not differ across light treatment or location (flight versus ground). In general, more biomass was produced in most treatments during the longer study, but growth of this crop declined over time with the repeated harvests. On average, bacterial and fungal counts were significantly lower on ground control samples than flight samples, and microbial counts increased with repeated harvests. Light treatment did not influence any elements in tissues tested; however, the growth duration did impact levels of several elements. Organoleptic scores were generally higher in flight, and ground tasters considered samples more bitter. Amount of interaction and responses to Veggie varied widely by individual. Enjoyable tasks had higher impact than non-enjoyable tasks and interacting with Veggie was generally viewed as positive. These tests on ISS are helping to mitigate the risk of an inadequate food supply for long-duration missions by adding fresh vegetables and key nutrients to the crew diet, and indicating which plant care activities are providing behavioral health benefits for the crew. This research was co-funded by the Human Research Program and Space Biology (MTL#1075) in the ILSRA 2015 NRA call. Videos due Jan. 25th.

Veggie↗

PLANNING FOR VEG-05 TOMATO CROP PRODUCTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

Growing fresh, nutritious, palatable produce for crew consumption during spaceflight may provide health-promoting, bioavailable nutrients and enhance the astronaut dietary experience as we move toward longer-duration missions. Tending plants may also serve as a countermeasure for crew psychological stresses associated with spaceflight. However, requirements to support consistent growth of a variety of nutritious crops under spaceflight environmental conditions remain unclear. This study explores the potential to grow crops for consumption on the International Space Station (ISS) using the Veggie vegetable-production system. Mizuna mustard was grown during VEG-04 studies in 2019, and human and plant data from those tests continue to be analyzed. Tomato plants will be grown for the VEG-05 experiment, and preflight definition studies are underway to ascertain the best hardware and operations for growing this fruiting crop. The variety of tomato selected for this study is ‘Red Robin’, a compact cherry tomato. Plants will be grown under two different red: blue lighting treatments using the Veggie units on ISS, and the impact of spectral quality on plant growth and yield, nutrient content, organoleptic acceptability, and microbial composition of the tomatoes will be assessed. Preliminary testing with this crop helped to identify responses to different analog types of growth hardware including both plant pillows and Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System (PONDS) units, and current testing is focusing on flight-like versions of this hardware. Challenges with fertilizer salts leaching out into the plant wicks and burning the stems of tomato were observed in earlier tests, so amended fertilizer and wick configurations have been developed. Crew procedures including plant thinning, watering, height adjustment with respect to lighting, and pollination are being validated. VEG-05 will be the first test of tomato fruit production on ISS. Lessons learned during preparation and implementation of the VEG-04 mizuna test for watering, and a separate ISS investigation with peppers (PH-04) in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) in terms of fertilizer, plant wicks, and pollination, will be adapted for this experiment. This research was co-funded by the Human Research Program and Space Biology (MTL#1075) in the ILSRA 2015 NRA call.

Veggie↗

Planning for VEG-05 Tomato Crop Production on the International Space Station

Growing fresh, nutritious, palatable produce for crew consumption during spaceflight may provide health-promoting, bioavailable nutrients and enhance the astronaut dietary experience as we move toward longer-duration missions. Tending plants may also serve as a countermeasure for crew psychological stresses associated with spaceflight. However, requirements to support consistent growth of a variety of nutritious crops under spaceflight environmental conditions remain unclear. This study explores the potential to grow crops for consumption on the International Space Station (ISS) using the Veggie vegetable-production system. Mizuna mustard was grown during VEG-04 studies in 2019, and human and plant data from those tests continue to be analyzed. Tomato plants will be grown for the VEG-05 experiment, and preflight definition studies are underway to ascertain the best hardware and operations for growing this fruiting crop. The variety of tomato selected for this study is ‘Red Robin’, a compact cherry tomato. Plants will be grown under two different red: blue lighting treatments using the Veggie units on ISS, and the impact of spectral quality on plant growth and yield, nutrient content, organoleptic acceptability, and microbial composition of the tomatoes will be assessed. Preliminary testing with this crop helped to identify responses to different analog types of growth hardware including both plant pillows and Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System (PONDS) units, and current testing is focusing on flight-like versions of this hardware. Challenges with fertilizer salts leaching out into the plant wicks and burning the stems of tomato were observed in earlier tests, so amended fertilizer and wick configurations have been developed. Crew procedures including plant thinning, watering, height adjustment with respect to lighting, and pollination are being validated. VEG-05 will be the first test of tomato fruit production on ISS. Lessons learned during preparation and implementation of the VEG-04 mizuna test for watering, and a separate ISS investigation with peppers (PH-04) in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) in terms of fertilizer, plant wicks, and pollination, will be adapted for this experiment. This research was co-funded by the Human Research Program and Space Biology (MTL#1075) in the ILSRA 2015 NRA call. Note: Presentation is a video formatted mp4 with a run time of 3 mins. 24 secs.

Veggie↗

VEG-04: The Effects of Light Quality on Mizuna Mustard Growth, Nutritional Composition, and Organoleptic Acceptability for a Space Diet

Growing fresh, nutritious, palatable produce for crew consumption during spaceflight may provide health-promoting, bioavailable nutrients and enhance the astronaut dietary experience as we move toward longer-duration missions. Tending plants may also serve as a countermeasure for crew psychological stresses associated with spaceflight. However, requirements to support consistent growth of a variety of high quality, nutritious crops under spaceflight environmental conditions remain unclear. This study explores the potential to grow crops for consumption on the International Space Station (ISS) using the Veggie vegetable-production system. VEG-04A and B were two flight tests conducted in 2019 with the leafy green crop mizuna mustard. Mizuna was grown in two Veggie chambers simultaneously, with the chambers set to different red-to-blue light formulations; one Veggie was programmed as "red-rich" and the second as "blue-rich." Light quality is known to impact plant growth, nutrition, microbiology, and organoleptic characteristics on Earth, and the Veggie flight tests examined how these impacts might differ in microgravity. VEG-04A, a 35-day growth test with a single harvest, was initiated in June and harvested in July 2019. At harvest, the astronauts froze half of the edible plant tissue to return to Earth and weighed the remaining half using the Mass Measurement Device (MMD). Weighed samples were then cleaned with produce-sanitizing wipes, and consenting crew members participated in organoleptic evaluation of the fresh produce. The remaining sanitized produce was available for crew consumption as desired. Frozen flight samples were returned at the end of August for microbial and chemical analyses to assess food safety and nutritional quality. No pathogens were detected on VEG-04A flight or ground control samples. On average, bacterial and fungal counts were significantly lower on ground control samples than flight samples. VEG-04B, a 56-day test with multiple harvests from the same plants, assessed sustained productivity. VEG-04B was initiated in October 2019 with three harvests at four, six, and eight weeks after initiation. Challenges with the watering program occurred early during VEG-04A, and several plants failed to survive in both the flight and ground control operations. Thus, prior to VEG-04B, an extra test was conducted to tailor water timing and volumes. This test determined that mizuna grew best if the wicks inside the plant pillow were allowed to dry after plants germinated, reducing persistent water around the stem. The wicks changed from being a conduit for water out of the plant pillow to being a conduit for air into the root zone. This test allowed a fine tuning of methods for VEG-04B. It is our hope that these tests on ISS will help mitigate the risk of an inadequate food supply for long-duration missions by adding fresh vegetables to the crew diet. This research was co-funded by the Human Research Program and Space Biology (MTL#1075) in the ILSRA 2015 NRA call.

Massa, Gioia D.↗

I.1 Heavy-Duty Diesel Combustion (Sandia National Laboratories)

Regulatory drivers and market demands for lower pollutant emissions, lower carbon dioxide emissions, and lower fuel consumption motivate the development of cleaner and more fuel-efficient engine operating strategies. Most current production heavy-duty diesel engines use a combination of both in-cylinder and exhaust emissions-control strategies to achieve these goals. The emissions and efficiency performance of in-cylinder strategies depend strongly on flow and mixing processes that can be influenced by using multiple fuel injections. Past work performed under this project showed that adding a second injection can reduce soot to levels below what would have been produced by an unchanged first injection, thereby increasing load while decreasing soot and potentially reducing brake specific fuel consumption. Information characterizing the important in-cylinder processes with multiple injections has been gleaned from ensemble-averaged planar laser-induced incandescence (PLII) imaging visualizing the soot cloud and planar induced fluorescence (PLIF) of OH characterizing the soot oxidation regions. PLII showed a consistent disruption of the first injection soot cloud by the second injection. In conjunction with OH-PLIF, differences in soot oxidation patterns for multiple injections compared to single injections were observed. This understanding was further enhanced in FY20, when high-speed imaging resolving the above-mentioned effects in a single cycle were combined with direct numerical simulations investigating the multiple-injection ignition process on the microscopic level of turbulence and chemistry interaction. In FY21, these findings in conjunction with findings from other researchers published in the scientific literature were composed into a preliminary multiple-injection conceptual model of fuel-mixing, injection and ignition processes. Remaining key research questions were also highlighted. In addition, wall heat flux was investigated experimentally and with numerical simulations to understand the potential of multiple injections to reduce the engine heat losses and further enhance the efficiency.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Trim drag reduction concepts for horizontal takeoff single-stage-to-Orbit vehicles

The results of a study to investigate concepts for minimizing trim drag of horizontal takeoff single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicles are presented. A generic hypersonic airbreathing conical configuration was used as the subject aircraft. The investigation indicates that extreme forward migration of the aerodynamic center as the vehicle accelerates to orbital velocities causes severe aerodynamic instability and trim moments that must be counteracted. Adequate stability can be provided by active control of elevons and rudder, but use of elevons to produce trim moments results in excessive trim drag and fuel consumption. To alleviate this problem, two solution concepts are examined. Active control of the center of gravity (COG) location to track the aerodynamic center decreases trim moment requirements, reduces elevon deflections, and leads to significant fuel savings. Active control of the direction of the thrust vector produces required trim moments, reduces elevon deflections, and also results in significant fuel savings. It is concluded that the combination of active flight control to provide stabilization, (COG) position control to minimize trim moment requirements, and thrust vectoring to generate required trim moments has the potential to significantly reduce fuel consumption during ascent to orbit of horizontal takeoff SSTO vehicles.

Shaughnessy, John D.↗

Amine Structure Governs Corrosion Rates of Copper Catalysts in Electrochemical Reactive Capture of CO 2

Reactive capture of CO 2 (RCC) offers an integrated approach that combines CO 2 capture with its direct electrochemical conversion, eliminating the need for CO 2 release from the capture agent. By avoiding the pH, pressure, and temperature swings required for the release step, RCC has the potential to reduce both energy consumption and capital costs compared to the conventional sequential process of CO 2 capture, release, concentration, and conversion. Amines, widely used in industrial CO 2 capture, face challenges in RCC systems due to their incompatibility with transition metal catalysts as well as their tendency to promote electrode corrosion and parasitic hydrogen evolution. Identifying suitable combinations of amines and catalysts is therefore critical to enabling integrated CO 2 capture and conversion. Here, this work systematically investigates the performance of four primary and four secondary amines for RCC on polycrystalline Cu catalysts. Among the eight tested amines, only dimethylamine showed no measurable Cu corrosion near the open circuit potential. In contrast, ammonia, methylamine, ethylamine, monoethanolamine, diethylamine, diethanolamine, and piperazine all induced Cu corrosion. Corrosion rates correlate with the pK a and steric hindrance of the amines, highlighting key parameters for catalyst–amine codesign. Grand canonical DFT calculations indicate a correlation between the adsorption strength of protonated amines, their pK a , and the extent of Cu corrosion, suggesting that both the surface binding of protonated amines and the lability of their protons play critical roles in corrosion acceleration near open circuit potentials. These finding suggest that amines with high pK a values and weak binding of their protonated forms to Cu surfaces are preferred, as they offer better corrosion resistance.

Choi, Jounghwan [Univ. of California, Los Angeles,↗

Regional applicability and potential of salt-gradient solar ponds in the United States. Volume 2: Detailed report

A comprehensive assessment of the regional applicability and potential of salt-gradient solar ponds in the United States is provided. The assessment is focused on the general characteristics of twelve defined geographic regions. Natural resources essential to solar ponds are surveyed. Meteorological and hydrogeological conditions affecting pond performance are examined. Potentially favorable pond sites are identified. Regional thermal and electrical energy output from solar ponds is calculated. Selected pond design cases are studied. Five major potential market sectors are evaluated in terms of technical and energy-consumption characteristics, and solar-pond applicability and potential. Relevant pond system data and financial factors are analyzed. Solar-pond energy costs are compared with conventional energy costs. The assessment concludes that, excepting Alaska, ponds are applicable in all regions for at least two market sectors. Total solar pond energy supply potential in the five market sectors examined is estimated to be 8.94 quads/yr by the year 2000, approximately 7.2% of the projected total national energy demand.

Lin, E. I. H.↗

Freon consumption - Implications for atmospheric ozone

Freons are a potential source of stratospheric chlorine and may indirectly cause serious reductions in the concentration of ozone. The reduction could be as large as 3 percent by 1980, or 16 percent by 2000, if Freon consumption were to grow at 10 percent per year. Even if Freon use were terminated as early as 1990, it could leave a significant effect which might endure for several hundred years.

Wofsy, S. C.↗

Engine-in-the-Loop Study of a Hierarchical Predictive Online Controller for Connected and Automated Heavy-Duty Vehicles

This paper presents a cohesive set of engine-in-the-loop (EIL) studies examining the use of hierarchical model-predictive control for fuel consumption minimization in a class-8 heavy-duty truck intended to be equipped with Level-1 connectivity/automation. This work is motivated by the potential of connected/automated vehicle technologies to reduce fuel consumption in both urban/suburban and highway scenarios. The authors begin by presenting a hierarchical model-predictive control scheme that optimizes multiple chassis and powertrain functionalities for fuel consumption. These functionalities include: vehicle routing, arrival/departure at signalized intersections, speed trajectory optimization, platooning, predictive optimal gear shifting, and engine demand torque shaping. The primary optimization goal is to minimize fuel consumption, but the hierarchical controller explicitly accounts for other key objectives/constraints, including operator comfort and safe inter-vehicle spacing. This work is experimentally experimentally validated via a sequence of EIL studies intended for evaluating the computational costs and fuel savings associated with these algorithms. These EIL studies involve the closed-loop validation of the proposed control strategies, both individually and combined. These studies show that this hierarchy of algorithms is capable of running online, with the round-trip communication delay inherent in EIL simulation being one of the key factors affecting the EIL results. Moreover, the EIL studies are encouraging, both in terms of the successful hierarchical integration of the underlying algorithms and also in the resulting fuel savings seen in the EIL tests. In particular, the EIL results suggest that an aggressive overall goal of reducing vehicle fuel consumption by 15-20% or more is potentially achievable, especially in urban/suburban scenarios.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

An omnivorous mesopredator modifies predation of omnivore-dispersed seeds

Post-dispersal seed predation is an important determinant of plant recruitment. Although many plant species are dispersed following consumption by omnivorous vertebrates, the potential for these dispersal agents to indirectly affect seed fate by modifying seed predator behavior is poorly understood. We evaluated the hypothesis that the scat of an omnivorous vertebrate (coyote, Canis latrans), which is also a rodent predator, would reduce seed predation by rodent granivores. We also hypothesized that scat would lead to increased removal by arthropod seed predators by providing a resource that attracts ants and other arthropods. We examined the role of omnivore deposition on seed predation of two animal-dispersed species that differed in size: Larger Prunus serotina seeds are attacked only by rodents, whereas smaller Rubus allegheniensis seeds are attacked by arthropods and rodents. Using an experiment that manipulated the presence of coyote scat and access by different granivore guilds, we found that scat reduced the total number of seeds removed from full-access depots by 12%, but it increased the total number of seeds removed from arthropod-only depots by 43%. Rodent removal of P. serotina seeds was 21% lower in the presence of scat. Scat composition was also important in affecting rodent seed predation, with seed predation 50% lower in the presence of meat-rich scat compared with mixed or fruit-rich scat. Arthropod removal of R. allegheniensis seeds was 43% higher in the presence of scat. Prunus serotina seeds were generally removed at greater rates than R. allegheniensis seeds in full-access trays; however, scat reduced this difference in removal rates from 37% more P. serotina seeds removed to 18% more P. serotina seeds removed. These findings illuminate a new pathway through which omnivores may influence plant populations by modifying post-dispersal seed predation by arthropods and rodents. Moreover, our results indicate that the ultimate effect of vertebrate omnivores on seed survival in a given region may depend upon omnivore diet, dominant seed predator guilds, and differences in granivore seed preference.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Rewiring yeast metabolism for producing 2,3-butanediol and two downstream applications: Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and agricultural biostimulant production

Rising concerns for sustainability and global climate change have driven the development of sustainable pro- duction pathways for biofuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass via integrated biological and chemical processes. We constructed an engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae capable of producing 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) from glucose without accumulating ethanol and glycerol, which hinder downstream processing of 2,3-BDO, through extensive metabolic reprogramming. Specifically, we introduced heterologous 2,3-BDO biosynthetic enzymes and deleted the major isozymes of ethanol and glycerol biosynthetic enzymes. In addition, we introduced an NAD + regenerating Pyruvate-Malate (PM) cycle and enhanced the NAD + regenerating capability of the PM cycle to resolve the redox imbalance from the deletion of ethanol and glycerol production pathways. The resulting engineered yeast produced 109.9 g/L of 2,3-BDO with a productivity of 1.0 g/L/h and a yield of 0.36 g/ g glucose in a fed-batch fermentation. We also conducted techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of the production of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) through catalytic dehydration of 2,3-BDO. A TEA based on the experimental results indicated that the minimum product selling price (MPSP) was estimated to be $1.90/kg. Regarding cradle-to-grave LCA, 100-year global warming potential (GWP100) and fossil energy consumption (FEC) were found to be 0.37 kg CO 2 eq/kg and 3.1 MJ/kg, respectively. These results demonstrated the feasibility of cost-competitive and sustainable bio-based MEK production via yeast fermentation. In addition, we explored the possibility of using the fermentation broth containing 2,3-BDO as a biostimulant inducing drought tolerance in plants. As a result, the yeast 2,3-BDO fermentation broth can induce drought tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana without a complicated purification process.

2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO)↗

Environmental and socio-economic Pareto-front trade-off analysis of U.S. PET packaging material in a circular economy

Various recycling technologies are emerging to implement circular economy in plasticssupply chain systems. However, the environmental and socio-economic trade-offs of in circular economy are not well understood at a systems level. Particularly, quantifying these trade-offs as a function of end-of-life (EOL) management decisions, including transition of recycling technologies, systems level metrics such as circularity, recycled content, and the need for fossil-derived plastics are not well understood. Here, the present study addressed these research gaps by applying a systems analysis modeling approach that utilizes material flow analysis, life cycle assessment, socioeconomic data, and system optimization techniques for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging supply chains in the United States. Pareto-front trade-offs between conflicting environmental and socio-economic impacts as well as those between socioeconomic impacts and circularity were explored using the epsilon constraint method. The Pareto-front trade-off analysis revealed the transition of EOL management strategies for PET packaging systems, including changes in selection of recycling technologies, to aid decision making process by quantifying studied system metrics. Transitioning from environmentally optimal to socio-economically optimal systems led to increased employment (by 17%), wages (by 26%), and revenues (by 6%) but also led to increased global warming potential (GWP; by 65%), energy consumption (by 59%), and reliance on fossil PET in the system (by 78%). Finally, the results show that there is not a unique set of recycling technologies to achieve a sustainable circular economy of PET packaging system, instead it depends on the decision maker’s objectives and targeted metrics of the system.

54 - ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES/GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ↗

Lignin-Derived Phenolic Compounds and Water Are Effective Cosolvents for Reductive Catalytic Fractionation

Reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) is an effective lignin-first biorefining method to extract lignin as a stabilized oil from lignocellulosic biomass. To realize RCF at scale, process modeling has shown that minimizing the use of exogenous organic solvents is critical. To this end, here we investigate the ability of lignin-derived monomers to act as either solvents or cosolvents for RCF. We begin by examining the influence of lignin-derived aromatic compounds (4-propylguaiacol, 4-propylphenol, and propylbenzene) on RCF monomer yields and subsequently extend our analysis to mixtures of 4-propylguaiacol and either methanol or water. Here, we demonstrate that 4-propylguaiacol is an effective solvent for lignin extraction and depolymerization during RCF, especially when used in combination with water as a cosolvent. Cosolvent mixtures of 4-propylguaiacol and water enable up to 81% lignin extraction, monomer yields up to 25 wt %, and postreaction phase separation. However, unlike methanol, water as a cosolvent fails to inhibit aromatic ring hydrogenation when conducted over Ru/C as a catalyst, potentially leading to excess hydrogen consumption in a process utilizing this approach. Nonetheless, these results suggest a promising strategy for eliminating external organic solvents from RCF by utilizing mixtures of lignin-derived compounds and water as alternative extraction solvents.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗