Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “carbonization”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,765 records · Page 98
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Application of soot carbonization kinetics to deduce meaningful soot formation rates in premixed flat flames

Soot formation rates measured in fuel-rich premixed flat flames are frequently used to calibrate or validate chemical kinetic models of soot formation. Unfortunately, these flames feature an extended region of soot precursor particle inception and carbonization that complicates interpretation of soot measurements and leads to a fundamental inconsistency in the nature of the soot material that is modeled versus what is being measured when using non-intrusive, optical techniques. In the work presented here, previously reported data on two canonical sooting ethylene-air premixed flames at 1 atm pressure are interpreted via a new analysis approach that combines soot optical dispersion coefficient measurements with soot carbonization kinetics. This analytical approach explicitly accounts for the production of poorly ordered soot precursor particle mass and its carbonization over time in the flames, providing a clear distinction between the formation rate of precursor particles and their transformation into ordered, solid soot particulate mass. In particular, the results of the analysis show that the precursor particles form much earlier in the flame than the majority of the carbonized soot and their formation rate is two to three times faster than that of ordered soot. The results also show that particle agglomeration begins when the particles are at an intermediate state of carbonization. In conclusion, these results offer a valuable new interpretation of these important datasets and should lead to substantial improvements in the development and calibration of quantitative soot models.

Soot formation↗
DOE OSTI2022

Novel textured surfaces for superior corrosion mitigation in molten carbonate salts for concentrating solar power

Corrosion of metals in contact with molten salts used for thermal energy storage and heat transport at high temperatures is a serious impediment to the development of next-generation concentrating solar thermal systems. Toward addressing this limitation, novel multiscale fractal-textured Ni coatings on a variety of substrate alloys are presented in this study for exceptional corrosion mitigation in molten carbonate salts at a high temperature. Strongly adherent, durable, single-layer, and double-layer multiscale fractal coatings were fabricated using the electrodeposition method. Corrosion performance of the coatings on SS310, SS316, SS347, and In800H was studied in molten carbonate salt (32% Li 2 CO 3 +33% Na 2 CO 3 +35% K 2 CO 3 ) at 750 °C. Single-layer coatings are stable up to 300 h immersion, whereas double-layer coatings are stable beyond 750 h. The corrosion rate of double-layer Ni coatings on ferrous alloys was reduced by as much as 60% from that of uncoated surfaces and was about 18% below that of higher cost, high Ni content Ha230. The study represents the first-ever report of corrosion characteristics of alloys in carbonate salts at 750 °C and the first demonstration of a means of dramatically reducing corrosion in carbonate salts at a high temperature. The article is significant in that it provides a viable approach for low-cost structural alloys to be corrosion-resistant to molten carbonate heat transfer fluids and storage media in high-temperature concentrating solar thermal applications. Furthermore, the corrosion-resistant coatings provide opportunities for the use of low-cost, ferritic alloys instead of the expensive nickel-based alloys in practice.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

A techno-economic assessment of carbon dioxide removal pathways via biochemical conversion of lignocellulose to biofuels and bioplastics

Biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) is a promising pathway to mitigate climate change via large scale removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). We modeled several fermentation technologies, producing a variety of bioproducts from lignocellulosic feedstocks, to understand their levelized cost of CO 2 removal under multiple scenarios. Lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are accounted to provide cradle-to-grave estimates of carbon intensity (CI). We did not account for the avoided fossil CO 2 emissions from the use of biofuels in our CO 2 removal cost calculations, because avoided emissions do not contribute to CO 2 removal. The main products from the fermentation technologies we modeled include renewable diesel, ethanol, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and polyethylene (PE), with co-products including CO 2 , adipic acid, steam, and electricity. PE, depending on its end-of-life management, can serve as a form of biogenic carbon storage. PE has the potential to remove 1.2–1.5 tCO 2 per dry t-biomass, whereas biofuels have the potential to remove 0.3–0.9 tCO 2 per dry t-biomass, indicating that PE production is a more efficient method of carbon removal. We quantify costs of CO 2 removal to be $\$$60 – $\$$675 per metric tCO 2 removed across the various fermentation pathways. Under the scenarios analyzed, bioplastic production from lignocellulosic biomass is a more cost-effective route to CO 2 removal than biofuel production, with costs of CO 2 removal via bioplastics being 50–90 % lower than that of biofuels. Future research should explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of expanding bioplastic production for large-scale CO 2 removal.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Porous carbon from lignocellulosic biomass with emphasis on corn plant waste residue for energy storage

The rising global demand for sustainable energy storage materials has driven the search for environmentally friendly and cost-effective electrode options. Hydrothermal conversion of lignocellulosic biomass has gained attention due to its low energy requirements and operation at relatively low temperatures, presenting a green alternative to traditional thermochemical methods. The resulting solid product, hydrochar, has been used as an adsorbent and soil amendment; however, chemical/thermal treatment significantly enhances its physical properties. These structural modifications transform hydrochar into an effective porous carbon electrode, offering abundant sites for electrolyte ion transport, critical for high-performance devices like supercapacitors and batteries. This review first discusses various waste biomass and sustainable feedstocks available globally. It compares two primary thermochemical conversion techniques, pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization/liquefaction, and examines their respective solid products, biochar and hydrochar, analyzing differences in their physical and chemical characteristics. The focus is placed on hydrochar, summarizing activation methods to produce porous carbon suitable for energy storage applications. Additionally, this review will include a dedicated section on the application of porous carbon derived from corn plant waste residue, considering that corn is one of the most abundant crops grown worldwide, which makes it an important and promising source for sustainable porous carbon production. The role of machine learning models in optimizing hydrothermal processes to produce high-quality hydrochar is also discussed, emphasizing how data-driven approaches can streamline process development. Finally, the review identifies the current challenges and prospects for lignocellulosic biomass-derived porous carbon as a sustainable electrode material in next-generation energy storage technologies.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Impacts of projected changes in sea surface temperature on ozone pollution in China toward carbon neutrality

The global sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are expected to change diversely in the future under different climate scenarios, which will affect the near-surface ozone (O 3 ) distribution and concentration by influencing meteorological states and large-scale atmospheric circulation. Many countries have planned to reach carbon neutrality by the mid-21st century. Here in this study, the impacts of global and regional SST changes on near-surface O 3 concentrations in China in the middle of the 21st century under the carbon-neutral scenario (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 1-1.9), compared with the high-emission scenario (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5-8.5), and possible physical and chemical mechanisms are investigated using the Community Earth System Model version 1 (CESM1). Under future climate change, the changes in SSTs in the carbon-neutral scenario relative to the high-emission scenario lead to a dipole change in near-surface O 3 concentrations in eastern and western China, with a significant decrease of 0.79 ppbv in the eastern China and a significant increase of 1.05 ppbv in the western China. The cooling of North Pacific Ocean under the carbon-neutral scenario causes a decrease in near-surface O 3 concentrations by 0.48 ppbv in eastern China due to the weakened chemical production and an increase by 0.74 ppbv in western China attributed to the enhanced O 3 transport from Eurasia. Cooling of Southern Hemisphere oceans leads to anomalous upward air motions over eastern China, which weaken the vertical transport of high-altitude O 3 to the surface. Our results suggest that future changes in SSTs in the carbon-neutral scenario will positively benefit O 3 air quality improvement in the polluted eastern China, with the North Pacific and Southern Hemisphere oceans playing important roles.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Biomolecular budget of persistent, microbial-derived soil organic carbon: The importance of underexplored pools

The details of how soil microorganisms contribute to stable soil organic carbon pools are a pressing knowledge gap with direct implications for soil health and climate mitigation. It is now recognized that microbial necromass contributes substantially to the formation of stable soil carbon. However, the quantification of necromass in soils has largely been limited to model molecules such as aminosugar biomarkers. The abundance and chemical composition of other persistent microbial residues remain unresolved, particularly concerning how these pools may vary with microbial community structure, soil texture, and management practices. We use yearlong soil incubation experiments with an isotopic tracer to quantify the composition of persistent residues derived from microbial communities inhabiting sand or silt dominated soil with annual (corn) or perennial (switchgrass) monocultures. Persistent microbial residues were recovered in diverse soil biomolecular pools including metabolites, proteins, lipids, and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM). The relative abundances of microbial contributions to necromass pools were consistent across cropping systems and soil textures. The greatest residue accumulation was not recovered in MAOM but in the light density fraction of soil debris that persisted after extraction by chemical fractionation using organic solvents. Necromass abundance was positively correlated with microbial biomass abundance and revealed a possible role of cell wall morphology in enhancing microbial carbon persistence; while gram-negative bacteria accounted for the greatest contribution to microbial-derived carbon by mass at one year, residues from gram-positive Actinobacteria and Firmicutes showed greater durability. Together these results offer a quantitative assessment of the relative importance of diverse molecular classes for generating durable soil carbon.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Enhanced CO 2 Adsorption Capacity in Highly Porous Carbon Materials Derived from Melamine-Formaldehyde Resin

Here, the present study explores the synthesis of N-doped carbon materials with large surface porosity using commercial melamine-formaldehyde resin as the precursor and KOH as the activator. The resin was carbonized first and then activated by KOH with varying KOH amount and activation temperature. Notably, the as-obtained sorbents display advanced porosity with the highest surface area and pore volume of 1591 m 2 /g and 0.74 cm 3 /g, respectively, along with high N content ranging from 6.43 to 18.34 wt %. Remarkably, maximum CO 2 capture amounts of 5.42 and 3.52 mmol/g were accomplished at 0 and 25 degrees C, 1 bar for as-synthesized carbons. Systematic studies point out that narrow microporosity is the major factor determining the CO 2 uptake of these carbons under ambient pressure. Furthermore, these sorbents display notable CO 2 selectivity, rapid adsorption kinetics, moderate heat of adsorption, substantial dynamic CO 2 capture capacity, and stable recyclability. These results underscore the potential of melamine-formaldehyde resin-derived N-doped porous carbon as an efficient and versatile adsorbent for CO 2 capture.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Adsorption of Rare Earth Elements onto DNA-Functionalized Mesoporous Carbon

The recovery and separation of rare earth elements (REEs) are of national importance owing to the specific usages, high demand, and low supply of these elements. In this research, we have investigated the adsorption of rare earth elements onto DNA-functionalized mesoporous carbons with a BET surface area of 605 m2/g and a median mesopore width of 48 Å. Additionally, three types of single-stranded DNA, one with 100 base units of thymine, another with 20 units of thymine, and the third, a 2000 unit long DNA from salmon milt were grafted on the carboxylated mesoporous carbon surface. All of the DNA-functionalized mesoporous carbons demonstrated higher adsorption of REEs compared to pristine mesoporous carbon and DNA grafted with 100 units of thymine demonstrated slightly higher adsorbed amounts compared to others. Pure neodymium (Nd(III)) adsorption in the aqueous phase demonstrated an adsorbed amount of 110.4 mg/g with respect to the initial concentration of 500 mg/g. A pH variation study with pure Nd(III) demonstrated that the adsorbed amount is higher at elevated pH compared to that at lower pH, thereby suggesting possible recovery at lower pH. Adsorption of a mixture of 16 REEs, including Sc, Lu, Tm, Yb, Er, Ho, Tb, Dy, Y, Eu, Gd, Sm, Ce, Nd, Pr, and La revealed that the adsorbed amount increased with an increase in the atomic weight and metallic radii of elements within the lanthanides. The calculation of the distribution coefficients for all of the equilibrium adsorption amounts suggested that adsorption is more effective in the lower concentration region. The Nd L3-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) confirmed a 3+ oxidation state of Nd in the adsorbed phase. The extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) confirmed the local atomic structure relaxation of Nd complexes in the adsorbed phase and shortening of the Nd–O bond distance by about 0.03–0.04 Å, which may be associated with their local complexation at the carbon surface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Stabilization of Ultrasmall Platinum Nanoparticles by Nitrogen-Doped Carbon: Implications for Catalysis and Electrocatalysis

Heterogeneous materials comprising platinum nanoparticles on carbon supports have numerous applications including fuel cell electrodes and heterogeneous catalysts. The effective application of these materials for fuel cells and catalysis will be greatly advanced by the ability to control the oxidation and sintering of the nanoparticles by modifications of the carbon support. One attempt of such control has been doping carbon supports with nitrogen. Here, in this work, a cutting-edge, high-sensitivity, in situ XRD instrument, which allows observation of ultrasmall Pt nanoparticles, has been combined with in situ XPS to provide unprecedented clarity in the characterization of supported Pt nanoparticles in oxidizing and high-temperature environments. On a nitrogen-doped carbon support derived from poly-phenylporphyrin, Pt nanoparticles show increased stability to oxidation and thermal sintering. The enhanced Pt–support interaction arising from the N dopant versus the N-free carbon is manifested by (1) decreased initial Pt particle sizes, (2) small particle size at higher surface densities, (3) increased resistance of Pt nanoparticles to oxidation, (4) increased electron binding energy of Pt0, and (5) increased resistance of Pt nanoparticles to sintering. It is expected that the higher stability of Pt on NC will be manifested in higher activity in fuel cells and high-temperature catalytic reactions.

catalytic reactions↗
DOE OSTI2025

Chemically and Mechanically Recyclable Vitrimers from Carbon Dioxide-Based Polycarbonates

Designing thermoset materials with dynamic crosslinks is an important strategy to mitigate rising global carbon dioxide emission levels. The development of polymers from sustainable feedstocks, with efficient manufacturing methods, for high-value applications, and with circular end-of-use solutions is essential for advancing material technologies. One approach involves exploiting carbon dioxide itself as feedstock to create high performance, sustainable materials, by enchaining 50 mol% CO2 via copolymerization with epoxides to yield polycarbonates. This work describes the synthesis, end-functionalization, and curing of poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) and poly(cyclohexene carbonate) (PCHC) into beta-hydroxy ester vitrimers. These vitrimers demonstrate the ability to be mechanically reprocessed up to 3 times with retention of the material’s properties through dynamic transesterification exchange reactions. The polycarbonate vitrimers with gel fractions exceeding 90 % exhibit high tensile strength (> 50 MPa) and Young’s modulus (> 2 GPa), achieved by varying repeat unit structure in the polymer backbone from the low Tg PPC to the more rigid high Tg PCHC structures. Owing to an entropically favorable chain back-biting mechanism, the network chains can be cleaved and depolymerized into cyclic small molecules. In the case of PCHC, this process enables repolymerization back to polycarbonates with 69 wt.% CO2 retention through life-cycles. The promising mechanical performance and recyclability of these CO2-based polycarbonate vitrimers indicate their potential for sustainable, high-performance materials, paving the way for future innovations in circular polymer technologies and carbon capture utilization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mechanistic Insight into Lignin Slow Pyrolysis by Linking Pyrolysis Chemistry and Carbon Material Properties

As a highly abundant renewable carbon source, lignin can be converted to a variety of advanced carbon materials with tailorable properties through slow pyrolysis. In this study, slow pyrolysis of kraft lignin, for the first time, was investigated with a commercial pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py–GC–MS) system through evolved gas analysis-MS (EGA-MS) and heart-cutting-GC–MS (HC-GC–MS) analyses. These analyses allow recovery and examination of the multiphased gas products generated from thermal decomposition of lignin during slow pyrolysis at a controlled heating rate over a long time course, thus making it possible to link operation conditions, pyrolysis chemistry, and carbon material properties. The overall product distributions, including volatiles and solid products, were quantitatively tracked at different heating rates (2, 20, and 40 °C/min) and different temperature regions (100–200, 200–300, and 300–600 °C). Solid residues were further characterized using a suite of analytical tools, in correlation with the investigation of formation mechanisms of volatiles to reveal the reaction chemistry of lignin during slow pyrolysis and to determine the morphology, pore structure, and interfacial chemical properties. This study provides critical insights into the slow pyrolysis chemistry of lignin and the properties of the resulting carbon material. These results will facilitate a better design and control of the lignin slow pyrolysis process for synthesizing functional carbon materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Carbon Negative Synthesis of Amino Acids Using a Cell-Free-Based Biocatalyst

Biological systems can directly upgrade carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into chemicals. The CO 2 fixation rate of autotrophic organisms, however, is too slow for industrial utility, and the breadth of engineered metabolic pathways for the synthesis of value-added chemicals is too limited. Biotechnology workhorse organisms with extensively engineered metabolic pathways have recently been engineered for CO 2 fixation. Yet, their low carbon fixation rate, compounded by the fact that living organisms split their carbon between cell growth and chemical synthesis, has led to only cell growth with no chemical synthesis achieved to date. Here, we engineer a lysate-based cell-free expression (CFE)-based multienzyme biocatalyst for the carbon negative synthesis of the industrially relevant amino acids glycine and serine from CO 2 equivalents–formate and bicarbonate–and ammonia. The formate-to-serine biocatalyst leverages tetrahydrofolate (THF)-dependent formate fixation, reductive glycine synthesis, serine synthesis, and phosphite dehydrogenase-dependent NAD(P)H regeneration to convert 30% of formate into serine and glycine, surpassing the previous 22% conversion using a purified enzyme system. We find that (1) the CFE-based biocatalyst is active even after 200-fold dilution, enabling higher substrate loading and product synthesis without incurring additional cell lysate cost, (2) NAD(P)H regeneration is pivotal to driving forward reactions close to thermodynamic equilibrium, (3) balancing the ratio of the formate-to-serine pathway genes added to the CFE is key to improving amino acid synthesis, and (4) efficient THF recycling enables lowering the loading of this cofactor, reducing the cost of the CFE-based biocatalyst. To our knowledge, this is the first synthesis of amino acids that can capture CO 2 equivalents for the carbon negative synthesis of amino acids using a CFE-based biocatalyst. Looking ahead, the CFE-based biocatalyst process could be extended beyond serine to pyruvate, a key intermediate, to access a variety of chemicals from aromatics and terpenes to alcohols and polymers.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Contrasting Responses of Soil Inorganic Carbon to Afforestation in Acidic Versus Alkaline Soils

Afforestation is recommended as an effective approach for carbon sequestration and environmental benefits. However, it remains less clear, and sometimes controversial, regarding how afforestation may impact soil inorganic carbon (SIC), a crucial component of the ecosystem carbon pool. Here, using field data from 619 afforested plots and 163 control plots across northern China, we investigated the relative and absolute differences in SIC between afforested and corresponding control plots. Our results suggested that afforestation increased SIC in acidic soils, while decreased SIC in alkaline soils. Fitting a linear mixed model and further a structure equation model, we found that afforestation-induced soil pH change was the most significant factor regulating SIC responses. In particular, SIC was more sensitive to pH change in more arid areas, where both soil pH and SIC stocks were high. Other factors could indirectly affect SIC responses to afforestation through modulating soil pH and soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. Moreover, afforestation-induced SIC changes also varied considerably among different species of tree plantations and across different soil depths. Importantly, in plantations of Pinus sylvestris var. mongholica, Pinus tabuliformis, and Populus spp., changes in SIC caused by afforestation were even comparable to that in SOC. Overall, our findings provide a data-based understanding on the comprehensive soil carbon dynamics following afforestation and its underlying mechanisms. With the increased use of afforestation and reforestation as nature-based solutions to climate change, their associated impacts on SIC need to be taken into account, especially in SIC-rich areas.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Melting of the Fe–C–H System and Earth's Deep Carbon–Hydrogen Cycle

The occurrences and cycling of slab-originated carbon and hydrogen are considered to be controlled by their reactions with metallic iron from mantle disproportionation and slab serpentinization, to form Fe alloys containing carbon and hydrogen. In this work, we show experimental results on the phase relations and melting of the Fe-C-H system using laser-heated diamond anvil cell and X-ray diffraction techniques up to 72 GPa. The incorporation of hydrogen was found to lower the eutectic melting temperatures of Fe-C alloy by ~50–178 K at 20–70 GPa, facilitating the formation of metallic liquids in the deep mantle and thus enhancing the mobility and deep cycling of subducted carbon and hydrogen. Hydrogen also substitutes with carbon in Fe-C metal to form hydride and diamond at relatively high-temperature conditions (e.g., 42.6 GPa, >1885 K and 71.8 GPa, >1798 K). The hydrogen-carbon-enriched metallic liquids provide the necessary fluid environment for superdeep diamond growth.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Drivers of Decadal Carbon Fluxes Across Temperate Ecosystems

Long-running eddy covariance flux towers provide insights into how the terrestrial carbon cycle operates over multiple timescales. Here, we evaluated variation in net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) across the Chequamegon Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study AmeriFlux core site cluster in the upper Great Lakes region of the USA from 1997 to 2020. The tower network included two mature hardwood forests with differing management regimes (US-WCr and US-Syv), two fen wetlands with varying levels of canopy sheltering and vegetation (US-Los and US-ALQ), and a very tall (400 m) landscape-level tower (US-PFa). Together, they provided over 70 site-years of observations. The 19-tower Chequamegon Heterogenous Ecosystem Energy-balance Study Enabled by a High-density Extensive Array of Detectors 2019 campaign centered around US-PFa provided additional information on the spatial variation of NEE. Decadal variability was present in all long-term sites, but cross-site coherence in interannual NEE in the earlier part of the record became weaker with time as non-climatic factors such as local disturbances likely dominated flux time series. Average decadal NEE at the tall tower transitioned from carbon source to sink to near neutral over 24 years. Respiration had a greater effect than photosynthesis on driving variations in NEE at all sites. Declining snowfall offset potential increases in assimilation from warmer springs, as less-insulated soils delayed start of spring green-up. Higher CO 2 increased maximum net assimilation parameters but not total gross primary productivity. Stand-scale sites were larger net sinks than the landscape tower. Clustered, long-term carbon flux observations provide value for understanding the diverse links between carbon and climate and the challenges of upscaling these responses across space.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Permafrost, Peatland, and Cropland Regions Are Key to Reconciling North American Carbon Sink Estimates

Persistent discrepancies between bottom-up, terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs), and top-down, atmospheric inversions, have made it difficult to quantify the magnitude of the North American terrestrial carbon sink. Previous studies have compared aggregated continent-scale estimates of carbon fluxes from TBMs and inversions for all of North America, but this provides limited insights into finer-scale mismatches that contribute to the overall discrepancies. Here we evaluate agreement between TBM and inversion carbon flux estimates at 1° × 1° resolution to provide more direct insights into where models disagree and what underlying factors drive discrepancies. We find that the additional carbon uptake estimated by inversions, in just 16% of the area of North America, is large enough to account for the discrepancy between TBMs and inversions across the whole continent. The majority of these differences occur in permafrost, peatland, and cropland regions. In these regions, we find a higher likelihood of potential biases in the weaker sink estimates from TBMs, suggesting that the stronger sink implied by inversions is more likely to be realistic. However, the current observational coverage is insufficient for fully assessing the causes of discrepancies or the magnitude of biases in either approach. Encouragingly, improved representation of agricultural processes in a TBM led to better agreement with inversions in croplands. Efforts to accurately model cropland dynamics will help improve agreement between TBMs and inversions. Overall, this work presents a clear path for reconciling the discrepancies between inversion and TBM estimates of the North American carbon sink that have persisted for two decades.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evidence-based target setting informs blue carbon strategies for nationally determined contributions

The magnitude and pace of global climate change demand ambitious and effective implementation of nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Nature-based solutions present an efficient approach to achieving mitigation, adaptation and resilience goals. Yet few nations have quantified the diverse benefits of nature-based solutions to evaluate and select ecosystem targets for their NDCs. Here we report on Belize’s pursuit of innovative, evidence-based target setting by accounting for multiple benefits of blue carbon strategies. Through quantification of carbon storage and sequestration and optimization of co-benefits, we explore time-bound targets and prioritize locations for mangrove protection and restoration. We find increases in carbon benefits with larger mangrove investments, while fisheries, tourism and coastal risk-reduction co-benefits grow initially and then plateau. We identify locations, currently lacking protected status, where prioritizing blue carbon strategies would provide the greatest delivery of co-benefits to communities. These findings informed Belize’s updated NDCs to include an additional 12,000 ha of mangrove protection and 4,000 ha of mangrove restoration, respectively, by 2030. Our study serves as an example for the more than 150 other countries that have the opportunity to enhance greenhouse gas sequestration and climate adaptation by incorporating blue carbon strategies that provide multiple societal benefits into their NDCs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Rapid loss of complex polymers and pyrogenic carbon in subsoils under whole-soil warming

Subsoils contain more than half of soil organic carbon (SOC) and are expected to experience rapid warming in the coming decades. Yet our understanding of the stability of this vast carbon pool under global warming is uncertain. In particular, the fate of complex molecular structures (polymers) remains debated. Here we show that 4.5 years of whole-soil warming (+4 °C) resulted in less polymeric SOC (sum of specific polymers contributing to SOC) in the warmed subsoil (20–90 cm) relative to control, with no detectable change in topsoil. Warming stimulated the subsoil loss of lignin phenols (–17 ± 0%) derived from woody plant biomass, hydrolysable lipids cutin and suberin, derived from leaf and woody plant biomass (–28 ± 3%), and pyrogenic carbon (–37 ± 8%) produced during incomplete combustion. Given that these compounds have been proposed for long-term carbon sequestration, it is notable that they were rapidly lost in warmed soils. We conclude that complex polymeric carbon in subsoil is vulnerable to decomposition and propose that molecular structure alone may not protect compounds from degradation under future warming.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗