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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

The Energy Costs of Dewatering Feedstock Microalgae Species Using Conventional Implementations of Ultrasonic and Crossflow Filtration Technologies

The use of microalgae as a feedstock for biofuels and other products continues to be explored, but large-scale biomass production faces persistent high costs. One major cost contributor is the energy required for harvesting and dewatering, a challenge resulting from the dilute nature of microalgae cultures as well as the properties of microalgae cells. This study investigated the energy demands of concentrating three diverse microalgae species (Nannochloropsis salina, Scenedesmus obliquus, and Chlorella luteoviridis) exhibiting different settling velocities, a key harvesting property, using conventional ultrasonic and crossflow membrane filtration. Membrane-free ultrasonic filtration removed 60-80% of the microalgae largely in steady-state operations, increasing concentrations 20-100 times, while consuming 1-6 kWh/m3 - similar to centrifugation. In contrast, crossflow membrane filtration retained nearly 100% of the microalgae, increasing concentrations over 20-fold, but consumed 158 kWh/m3 - over 10 times the energy of centrifugation. Both approaches exceeded the 10% energy target suggested in the 2010 National Algal Biofuel Technology Roadmap. This study also highlights potential sources of energy savings. For ultrasonic filtration, attention to an innovative, dynamic property of the ultrasonic chamber called the Energy Efficiency Factor, could lead to energy reductions by no more than 10-fold and improve the favorability of two of the microalgae species studied. For membrane filtration, a dead-end configuration could reduce energy consumption by no more than 1000-fold, making it favorable for all three species. This study not only highlights the need to further increase the energy content of microalgae cultures, but also the critical importance of continued development of ultrasonic filtration and other harvesting technologies to achieve low-cost, energy-sustainable algal biofuels.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Upcycling of post-consumer mixed polyolefin feedstock: An economic and technical evaluation

Here, this study reports techno-economic and life cycle analyses to evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of mechanically recycled PE/PP blends in the presence of rheology modifiers. Additionally, fiber-reinforced composites derived from the compatibilized blends were prepared and evaluated for their performance compared with virgin plastics. Results suggest that compatibilized PE/PP blends exhibit a 70% lower selling price compared to virgin PE. Furthermore, these blends achieved a 74% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions or climate change impact compared to the virgin counterpart. Fiber-reinforced composites from compatibilized PE/PP blends demonstrated improved or comparable mechanical properties relative to composites made from virgin PE/PP blends. Based on their favorable cost and environmental impact, along with performance comparable to virgin composites, compatibilized PP/PE composites made from post-consumer plastics can find applications in large-scale composite manufacturing.

Fiber reinforced plastics (FRP)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Data for Resourceful and Economical Designing of Fermentation Medium for Lab and Commercial Strains of Yeast from Alternative Feedstock: Transgenic Oilcane

Sugarcane plant engineered to accumulate lipids in its vegetative tissue is being developed as a new bioenergy crop. The new crop would be a source of juice, oil, and cellulosic sugars. However, limited tolerance of industrially recognized yeasts towards inhibitors generated during the processing of lignocellulosic biomass to produce fermentable sugars is a major challenge in developing scalable processes for second-generation drop-in fuel production. To this end, hydrolysates generated from engineered sugarcane—‘oilcane’ bagasse contain added phenolics and fatty acids that further restrict the growth of fermenting microorganisms and necessitate nutrient supplementation and/or detoxification of hydrolysate which makes the fermentation process expensive. Herein, we propose a resourceful and economical approach for growing lab and commercial strains of S. cerevisiae on unrefined cellulosic sugars aerobically and fermentatively. An equal ratio of hydrolysate and juice was found optimum for growth and fermentation by lab and commercial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae engineered for xylose fermentation. The industrial strain grew and fermented efficiently under low aeration conditions having an ethanol titer, yield, specific and volumetric productivities of 46.96 ± 0.19 g/l, 0.51 ± 0.00 g/g, 0.27 ± 0.02 g/g.h and 1.95 ± 0.01 g/l.h, respectively, while the lab strain grew better under higher aeration conditions having the ethanol titer, yield, specific and volumetric productivities of 24.93 ± 0.09, 0.27 ± 0.00 g/g, 0.17 ± 0.00 g/g.h and 1.04 ± 0.00 g/l.h, respectively. Acclimation of cultures in a blended medium significantly improved the performance of the yeast strains. The addition of transgenic oilcane juice, which is inedible and rich in amino acids, to the hydrolysate averted the need for expensive nutrient supplementation and detoxification steps of hydrolysate. The approach provides an economical solution to reduce the cost of fermentation at an industrial scale for second-generation drop-in fuel production.

Biomass Analytics↗
NASA NTRS2019

Discerning the Impact of Powder Feedstock Variability on Structure, Property, and Performance of Selective Laser Melted Alloy 718: A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of Feedstock Variability

Extensive mechanical, chemical and microstructural analyses were conducted on additively manufactured Alloy 718 to characterize powders from multiple vendors to determine the effects of variations observed in the powders had on the consolidated material. With over 190 variables examined, it was necessary to reduce the number of variables and identify the variables and classes of variables that had the greatest effect. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the number of variable to effectively 12 while identifying several classes of variables as most important.

Ellis, David↗
DOE OSTI2025

Climate Forcing of Bioenergy Feedstocks: Insights From Carbon and Energy Flux Measurements

Bioenergy from biofuels has the potential to slow growing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations by reducing fossil fuel use. However, growing bioenergy feedstocks is a land-intensive process. In the United States, the recent expansion of maize bioethanol has presented some environmental costs, prompting the development of several alternative bioenergy feedstocks. These feedstocks, selected in part for traits associated with ecosystem services, may provide opportunities for environmental benefits beyond fossil fuel displacement. We hypothesized that these bioenergy ecosystems will provide direct climatic cooling through their influence on carbon and radiative energy fluxes (i.e., through albedo). To test this hypothesis, we investigated the potential cooling effect of five current or potential bioenergy feedstocks using multi-year records from eddy covariance towers. Perennial feedstocks were carbon sinks, with an annual mean net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) of –2.7 ± 2.1 Mg C ha –1 for miscanthus, –0.8 ± 1.1 Mg C ha –1 for switchgrass, and –1.4 ± 0.7 Mg C ha –1 for prairie. In contrast, annual rotations were generally carbon sources, with an annual mean NECB of 2.6 ± 2.4 Mg C ha –1 for maize-soy and 3.2 ± 2.1 Mg C ha –1 for sorghum-soy. Using maize-soy as a baseline, conversion to alternative feedstocks increased albedo, inducing further cooling. This effect was strongest for miscanthus, with –3.5 ± 2.0 W m –2 of radiative forcing, and weakest for sorghum, with –1.4 ± 1.4 W m –2 . When feedstock effects on carbon and albedo were compared using carbon equivalents, carbon fluxes were the stronger ecosystem effect, underscoring the role of perennial species as effective carbon sinks. This work highlights the impact of feedstock choice on ecosystem processes as an element of bioenergy land conversion strategies.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Feedstock Choices for Advancing the Bioeconomy in the US and Policy Implications

Biomass feedstocks will be critical for scaling up the bioeconomy in the United States to meet multiple demands for biofuels, sustainable aviation fuel, bioproducts, and biochemicals. There is a wide range of choices of feedstocks, including a variety of dedicated energy crops and crop residues. There are substantial differences in the yields, costs of production, and carbon intensity of these feedstocks and for each feedstock across locations. These feedstocks also differ in the trade-offs they offer among multiple environmental impacts. We discuss the economic factors that will influence the production of these feedstocks and the implications of alternative biofuel and low-carbon policies for the mix of feedstocks that will be incentivized.

Khanna, Madhu (ORCID:0000000349944451)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Biomanufacturing from gaseous C1 feedstocks: A perspective on opportunities and challenges

Single-carbon (C1) substrates including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane are abundantly available from natural and anthropogenic sources and present potential feedstocks for biomanufacturing. Utilizing these C1 gas feedstocks in bioprocesses for sustainable production of chemicals and fuels could prove pivotal in removing excess carbon from the atmosphere. This perspective describes the spectrum and sources of CO2, CO, and CH4 and examines emerging opportunities in microbial bioconversion and bioelectrochemical processes for these feedstocks. We discuss existing challenges in bioprocess development that currently restrict the commercialization of C1 biomanufacturing technologies. We detail different aerobic and anaerobic bioconversion approaches for C1 feedstocks employing pure and mixed cultures and examine the suitability of each scenario for producing specific molecules. Beyond strain engineering and bioprocess constraints, we address often overlooked factors that limit the development of efficient and reliable bioprocesses, including technology availability for research and safety considerations. We then discuss and recommend the necessary safety features and technological research tools for developing fast, safe, and efficient bioprocesses using gaseous feedstocks to support the scale-up and commercialization of C1 biomanufacturing technologies. This perspective provides an overview of the current scientific and industrial state of the art and offers insights into future technological needs that must be addressed to realize the potential of biomanufacturing from gaseous feedstocks. Synopsis: C1 gases offer a sustainable feedstock for biomanufacturing of fuels and chemicals. This work analyzes bioconversion methods, challenges, and safety considerations, and emphasizes the need for improved technology to enable commercialization.

Biomanufacturing↗
NASA NTRS2005

Synthesizing Diamond from Liquid Feedstock

A relatively economical method of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has been developed for synthesizing diamond crystals and films. Unlike prior CVD methods for synthesizing diamond, this method does not require precisely proportioned flows of compressed gas feedstocks or the use of electrical discharges to decompose the feedstocks to obtain free radicals needed for deposition chemical reactions. Instead, the feedstocks used in this method are mixtures of common organic liquids that can be prepared in advance, and decomposition of feedstock vapors is effected simply by heating. The feedstock used in this method is a solution comprising between 90 and 99 weight percent of methanol and the balance of one or more other oxyhydrocarbons that could include ethanol, isopropanol, and/or acetone. This mixture of compounds is chosen so that dissociation of molecules results in the desired proportions of carbon-containing radicals (principally, CH3) and of OH, H, and O radicals. Undesirably, the CVD temperature and pressure conditions thermodynamically favor the growth of graphite over the growth of diamond. The H radicals are desirable because they help to stabilize the growing surface of diamond by shifting the thermodynamic balance toward favoring the growth of diamond. The OH and O radicals are desirable because they preferentially etch graphite and other non-diamond carbon, thereby helping to ensure the net deposition of pure diamond. The non-methanol compounds are included in the solution because (1) methanol contains equal numbers of C and O atoms; (2) an excess of C over O is needed to obtain net deposition of diamond; and (3) the non-methanol molecules contain multiple carbon atoms for each oxygen atom and thus supply the needed excess carbon A typical apparatus used in this method includes a reservoir containing the feedstock liquid and a partially evacuated stainless-steel reaction chamber. The reservoir is connected to the chamber via tubing and a needle valve or other suitable flow controller. When the liquid enters the low-pressure environment inside the chamber, it evaporates to form a vapor mixture of the same chemical composition. In addition to the inlet for the feedstock liquid, the chamber is fitted with an outlet connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) through a throttle valve (also not shown) that is automatically controlled to keep the pressure at or near the required value throughout the deposition process. Inside the chamber, a spiral filament made of tungsten, tantalum, graphite, or other high-melting-temperature material is electrically heated to a temperature >2,000 C high enough to cause dissociation of vapor molecules into the aforementioned radicals. A deposition substrate typically, a diamond-polished silicon wafer about 2.5 cm square is positioned about 2 cm away from the filament. The exact location of the substrate is chosen so that the substrate becomes heated by the filament to a deposition temperature in the approximate range of 800 to 1,000 C.

Tzeng, Yonhua↗
DOE OSTI2025

Distillable amine-based solvents for effective pretreatment of multiple biomass feedstocks

Exploring the potential of advanced distillable solvents as efficient biomass pretreatment agents is critical for biorefineries, enhancing fermentable sugar yields while enabling solvent recovery and recycling without suffering significant losses. Here, we employ distillable amine-based solvents for pretreating a wide range of lignocellulosic feedstocks, aiming to facilitate the industrial release of fermentable sugars from diverse feedstocks through enzymatic hydrolysis. Twenty-two diverse feedstocks, sourced from different geographical regions and representing various biomass categories, were surveyed for chemical (mainly carbohydrates and lignin) and lignin (S, G, and H units) profiles. Several solvents, including ethanolamine, ethanolammonium acetate, butylamine, butylammonium acetate, and triethylamine, were tested for the pretreatment of eight selected biomasses. Among these solvents, butylamine emerged as the most effective due to its favorable sugar release, excellent solvent removal rate, and low boiling point, facilitating solvent recovery and recycling. Extending butylamine pretreatment to all 22 feedstocks demonstrated desirable sugar yields and highly efficient solvent removal in the majority of the biomass sources tested. Agricultural residues and their mixtures showed particularly favorable sugar release. Despite minimal changes in cellulose crystallinity, XRD characterization of sorghum, poplar, and pine before and after butylamine pretreatment showed a decrease in intensity and a slight shift of certain peaks, indicating alterations in cellulose structure. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis analyses suggested disruption of biomass linkages in hemicellulose and lignin, enhancing enzymatic digestibility. Scale-up experiments of the mixed agricultural feedstocks in a 1 L Parr reactor achieved over 90% glucose liberation and more than 99% butylamine removal, highlighting the scalability of the method. The resulting hydrolysates supported the growth of diverse bacterial and fungal strains, indicating downstream compatibility with commercial fermentation processes. This study presents butylamine as an effective, recoverable pretreatment solvent for a wide range of lignocellulosic feedstocks, offering a promising solution to key biorefinery challenges. The demonstrated scalability and compatibility with various biomass types and blends underscore its potential for industrial application, advancing sustainable biofuel and biochemical production.

biomass composition↗
DOE OSTI2025

Synthetic microbial communities: Bridging research and application in second-generation bioenergy feedstock microbiomes

The sustainable production of purpose-grown bioenergy feedstocks is essential in transitioning away from fossil fuels. Synthetic communities (SynComs) are consortia of microorganisms that can be used as biological interventions to support objectives like plant growth and stress tolerance. This review examines the state of knowledge regarding microbiomes and SynComs of second-generation bioenergy feedstocks, focusing on the rhizosphere. We first provide an overview of second-generation feedstocks, including switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus), sorghum (Sorghum spp.), sugarcane (Saccharum spp.), and poplar (Populus spp.), and summarize our current understanding of their plant-soil-microbiome ecology. We next discuss considerations in the objectives, design, and evaluation of SynComs to enhance feedstock production, and then critically review the literature around their use. Our literature analysis revealed that SynCom performance varied substantially between controlled pilot experiments and field trials, possibly due to system complexity that could not be fully considered in their design and pilot evaluation. We identified a gap in the use of SynComs to support the unique sustainability objectives of biofuel feedstock agriculture, presenting an opportunity to leverage these additional microbial traits in SynCom designs. Finally, we emphasize the importance of targeted research to identify the ecological principles that govern the assembly, activation, and persistence of microbes in the feedstock rhizosphere, thereby enhancing our capacity to manage microbiomes under diverse environmental conditions and ensure their functionality. Beyond biofuels, SynComs are a promising microbiome management strategy for crop production; however, an ecologically informed design and evaluation of SynComs are advised.

SynCom↗
DOE OSTI2025

Expansion and Update of the R&D Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator (FD-CIC) for R&D GREET 2025

The R&D Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator (R&D FD-CIC) is a transparent and easy-touse tool to estimate feedstock-specific carbon intensity (CI) of biofuel feedstocks, and to examine potential CI variations of different farming practices to grow agricultural feedstocks for biofuel production. The objective of the tool is to assess potential effects of different farming practices with underlined factors to reduce uncertainties in such assessment and help R&D activities. The original work and early versions of R&D FD-CIC were supported by Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) of the Department of Energy, with recent support by the Bioenergy Technologies Office of the Department of Energy. The tool uses life cycle inventory (LCI) data of key farming inputs from the R&D Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (R&D GREET) model. The system boundary of R&D FD-CIC covers the cradle-to-farm-gate activities, including upstream emissions related to farming input manufacturing and feedstock production.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Biochemical Conversion of Herbaceous Biomass to Renewable Diesel: Biorefinery Marginal Air Quality Impacts and Comparison to Feedstock Production

This study assesses the air quality impacts of an advanced biorefinery that produces renewable diesel blendstock (RDB) from lignocellulosic biomass via aerobic respiration (Davis et al. 2022) by estimating fine particulate matter (PM2.5) impacts from biorefinery emissions. It continues a prior analysis that used a geospatial assessment to identify source regions for biomass feedstocks and studied the impact of feedstock production emissions on air quality (Thind et al. 2022). Thind et al. (2022) identified RDB biorefineries that can use corn stover feedstocks of 2,000; 5,200; and 9,100 dry metric tons per day (DMT/day), based in Iowa, and suggested 7 unique counties can serve as hosts for a biorefinery that draws biomass feedstock from neighboring counties. Given 13 unique county-biorefinery size combinations and two waste lignin end uses at the biorefinery (lignin as a fuel for electricity generation and lignin for pellet production), the air-quality-related sustainability aspects of each of these 26 scenarios are assessed by estimating the annual average impacts of biorefinery emissions on the dispersion and formation of secondary PM2.5 in the atmosphere using a novel reduced-complexity air quality model called the Intervention Model for Air Pollution (InMAP). The 26 biorefinery design combinations help capture how a biorefinery's emissions of air pollutants and their resulting impact on local and regional air quality are influenced by the magnitude of production scale, lignin utilization strategy, and location of a proposed biorefinery. Methods developed in Thind et al. (2022) are applied to estimate the constraints on primary PM2.5 and secondary PM2.5 precursor emissions based on compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) annual primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of PM2.5 (i.e.12.0 micrograms per cubic meter (microgram/m3)) at downwind receptors of a biorefinery. Incremental PM2.5 concentrations caused by the emission of biorefining corn stover into RDB are assessed and compared to those of corn stover production. To illuminate which upstream supply chain stage of renewable diesel production contributes most to air quality impacts, marginal PM2.5 concentrations are compared between both stages at multiple downwind air quality monitor locations. In addition, through a hotspot analysis, we identify the primary contributing factors of emissions within the feedstock production and biorefinery stage operations. In doing so, we provide insights for improving the air pollutant emission-related sustainability of advanced lignocellulosic biofuel production.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Data-Driven Framework for Predicting the Sorting and Screening Performance of an Integrated Biomass Feedstock Preprocessing System

The characteristics of mechanically sorted and screened lignocellulosic biomass, such as the mass contents of corn stover anatomical fractions (leaves, husks, stalks, cobs, etc.), can be used to calculate the intermediate feedstock quality attributes “yield” and “purity” that indicate the conversion efficiency of biocrude. No prior study has investigated the correlations from the characteristics of raw biomass and preprocessing unit operation parameters to those intermediate feedstock quality attributes. This work presents a data-driven framework for assessing and predicting the intermediate feedstock quality attributes in an integrated biomass feedstock preprocessing system. Our study used corn stover as a typical type of herbaceous biomass because of its abundance in the U.S. It began with data acquisition of moisture content, particle size distribution, and anatomical fractions of the materials after each unit operation in the system. The objective of this preprocessing system is to minimize husks and leaves and maximizing cobs and stalks by mechanically separating the materials into three streams via disc screen and air separator. Prototype neural network models were then developed to evaluate the feasibility of predicting process outcomes based on measurable parameters. It is found that incorporating physical constraints into these prediction models significantly enhances the accuracy of the predicted yield and purity against the ground truth data. The experimental data and model predictions indicate that decreasing throughput increases purity, while higher throughput results in lower purity. Finally, an optimization problem was introduced to search optimal combinations of feed material properties and preprocessing unit operation parameters, as the intermediate feedstock quality attributes – yield and purity, appeared to be competing factors. The study also suggests the continual need to improve the data-driven framework’s predictability by incorporating more accurate physical models to describe the dynamics in the preprocessing units such as the air separator.

09 - BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Biotechnological solutions for critical mineral recovery from unconventional feedstocks

Secure and sustainable metal recovery from unconventional feedstocks is needed to meet the mineral demands of energy, defense, and electronic technologies. Here, we highlight the potential to leverage nature’s ability to extract and differentiate metal ions in biotechnologies that could become the next generation of mining and refining. We describe bulk and trace processes and then discuss the advances and opportunities of two key bioprocesses: microbially mediated solubilization of metal ions from solid matrices (termed ‘bioleaching’) and bio-based separation of solubilized ions via selective adsorption to proteins. Both biotechnologies have advantages such as reduced energy input for leaching low-grade feedstocks and reduced organic solvent demand for separating ions with similar physiochemical properties but require more development for industrial scale recovery from unconventional feedstocks. Innovation in biological science and engineering may bring timely solutions to key challenges toward recovering critical minerals from unconventional feedstocks.

organic↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comparison of the efficacy of a biocompatible and a distillable solvent for pretreatment of mixed bioenergy feedstocks

Biomass deconstruction is a crucial step in the production of lignocellulosic biofuels and bioproducts. However, identifying and selecting an optimal pretreatment solvent that enhances enzymatic saccharification while being cost-efficient and ensuring sustainability remains a challenge. In this study, we compare the effectiveness of the biocompatible ionic liquid cholinium lysinate ([Ch][Lys]) against the distillable solvent ethanolamine, when used for the pretreatment of mixed bioenergy feedstocks, including poplar, switchgrass, and sorghum. [Ch][Lys] was used at a concentration of 10 % wt. in a one-pot configuration without biomass washing and ethanolamine was used in a concentrated form and removed with a vacuum oven, before performing enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial conversion. Our results show that ethanolamine pretreatment consistently enhances the glucose yield across various biomass types compared to [Ch][Lys], with improvements ranging from 22.0 % to 52.7 %. The highest combined sugar release was observed when the three feedstocks were combined in equal amounts and pretreated with ethanolamine, achieving a glucose yield of 84.6 % and a xylose yield of 76.6 %. Additionally, ethanolamine exhibited exceptional solvent recovery efficiency, with removal efficiencies exceeding 99.8 % at 120 °C across all feedstocks, highlighting its advantage over non-distillable solvents. While both solvents produced biocompatible hydrolysates, the hydrolysates prepared using ethanolamine resulted in higher bioproduct formation. These findings highlight the industrial relevance of selecting recyclable and biocompatible solvents for scalable, sustainable, and cost-effective bioenergy production. This study contributes to the development of economically viable and scalable pretreatment technologies for bioenergy applications using different feedstocks and process configurations.

Rahman, Maksudur↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating the carbon capture potential of industrial waste as a feedstock for enhanced weathering

Abstract Limiting anthropogenic global climate warming since the start of the industrial period to less than 2 °C will very likely require both deep and rapid reductions in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and a range of approaches toward carbon dioxide removal (CDR). One prominent CDR approach is enhanced weathering (EW), in which crushed silicate rock is applied on land or in the open ocean to accelerate natural weathering processes that absorb carbon dioxide from Earth’s ocean–atmosphere system. However, in addition to a range of potential environmental, socioeconomic, and ethical issues associated with this pathway, bottlenecks in feedstock sourcing represent a key barrier for deployment of EW at scale. Here, we evaluate the potential of silicate wastes produced from industrial processes—such as steel slag and cement waste—as feedstocks for the EW process. An empirical model that links industrial alkaline waste production to gross domestic product at purchase power parity is developed to forecast waste production in the alternative futures described by the shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) framework. By incorporating these results into an intermediate-complexity Earth system model, we also explore the impacts of EW using industrial waste on changes to global temperature, ocean pH, and ocean aragonite saturation state, while also quantifying overall CDR efficiency through the end of the century. We estimate a maximum cumulative end-of-century capture potential of ∼400 GtCO 2 for industrial waste, which could represent a significant fraction of the projected CDR requirement of many mitigation scenarios in the SSP framework. However, feedstock-dependent environmental impacts and the technoeconomics of feedstock redistribution may ultimately limit deployment scope.

Xu, Pengxiao (ORCID:0009000633724293)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Integration of LIBS with Machine Learning for Real-Time Monitoring of Feedstock in H 2 Gasification Applications

This project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) – Office of Fossil Energy under Award Number DE-FE0032177, aimed to assess the feasibility of an integrated Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) system with advanced machine learning (ML) models for real-time characterization and potential control of hydrogen gasifiers running on waste materials as feedstocks. This was a multidisciplinary effort that encompassed the acquisition and standardized analysis of individual and blended feedstocks—comprising biomass, coal waste, and plastic waste, followed by the development of a dynamic LIBS bench system for material sample analysis and development of predictive ML models. Comprehensive laboratory testing enabled the creation of a robust elemental dataset that served as the foundation for ML model training. Techniques such as Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, Support Vector Regression, and Neural Networks were employed to predict key feedstock properties, including higher heating value (HHV), moisture content, thermal conductivity, and ash composition with high accuracy. The results were validated against experimental data and demonstrated strong potential for real-time application in gasifier control systems. The project concluded with a study on the integration of the LIBS+ML approach for gasifier control and a techno-economic analysis of the implementation of the approach into hydrogen (H 2 ) gasification systems. Dissemination of results was carried out at a DOE meeting. This work establishes a scalable framework for automated, in-line feedstock quality assessment, offering significant implications for process optimization and emissions reduction in hydrogen production.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗