Projects

Mechanisms of soil organic matter stabilization across a phosphorus and land use gradient in carbonate lithologies.

Lead Institution

University of Kentucky

Principal Investigator

Christopher Shepard

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The belowground cycles of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) are controlled by complex local soil forming processes, but the relationships between these cycles remain poorly defined. The…

Understanding simultaneous lignin depolymerization and catabolism in white-rot fungi

Lead Institution

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Davinia Salvachua Rodriguez

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Lignin is a heterogeneous aromatic polymer found in the cell walls of terrestrial plants and accounts for 30% of the organic carbon in the biosphere. White-rot fungi (WRF) are unquestionably the most…

Analysis of biogeochemical nutrient delivery to the Amazon and Atlantic Ocean from transported smoke and dust

Lead Institution

University of Miami

Principal Investigator

Cassandra Gaston

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Atmospheric particles (e.g., aerosols) deposit key nutrients, such as iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P), to the open ocean and the Amazon Rainforest. These nutrients are important for biological functions…

The origin, occurrence and distribution of water and volatiles in nominally anhydrous minerals

Lead Institution

The Open University

Principal Investigator

Mahesh Anand

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Nominally anhydrous minerals such as olivine and pyroxene constitute most of the major rock forming minerals. As a result, these phases are abundant in crustal and mantle rocks on Earth, as well as…

Understand How Fungi Cell Wall Responds to Hypersaline Environment

Lead Institution

Michigan State University

Principal Investigator

Tuo Wang

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

This project aims at understanding the how fungi reconstruct their cell walls at hypersaline environments. The research is underlying Functional and Systems Biology Topic 4 (FSB-4) by using EMSL&#039…

Investigating Fog Processing of Aerosol in Amazonia and their Climatic Impacts

Lead Institution

Federal University of Parana

Principal Investigator

Ricardo Godoi

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

This study aims to understand the chemical composition, morphology, and hygroscopicity of fog and cloud biological constituents and how they can affect the fog and cloud process. We hypothesize that…

Manipulating Monocot (Grass) Lignin-forming Dirigent Protein Complexes for Optimal Bioenergy/Bioproducts

Lead Institution

Washington State University

Principal Investigator

Norman Lewis

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The overall objective of this proposal is to establish the (bio)chemical basis as to why monocot (grass) lignocellulosic tissues are significantly less recalcitrant to (bio)degradation than their …

Dinitrogen Activation and Electron and Proton Delivery in the Nitrogenase Complex

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Simone Raugei

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

We are requesting EMSL supercomputing resources to tackle the mechanism of electron and proton delivery to dinitrogen (N2) to yield ammonia (NH3) in the Mo-dependent nitrogenase -- biological…

CO2 activation and conversion by the CODH/ACS enzymatic complex

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Simone Raugei

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The purpose of the proposal is to computationally characterize the key biochemical and biophysical features of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) and acetyl-coenzyme A synthase (ACS) enzymatic…

Contaminant immobilization through heterogeneous carbonate growth at mineral/water and mineral/microbe interfaces

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Sebastien Kerisit

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The presence of mineral surfaces and microorganisms significantly impacts the nature and composition of mineral phases formed in biogeochemical systems. Despite the importance of these heterogeneous…

A cross-scale modeling framework of organic matter biochemistry in river corridor system: Scaling biogeochemical reaction kinetics from molecular to reach scales

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Peiyuan Gao

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Predicting the decomposition of organic matter in biochemical processes driven by microbes at reach scale remains challenging. These challenges are deeply rooted in the scarcity of rate measurements…

Micro to Macro - Molecular and Spatial Controls on Microbial Function

Lead Institution

Kula Bio, Inc.

Principal Investigator

Darian Smercina

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Establishing a clear and predictable link between the structure and function of soil microbial communities and ecosystem processes remains one of the greatest challenges in soil ecology. Soil…

Investigating Oiliness: Systems Comparison of Photoautotrophic and Heterotrophic Lipid Production in Auxenochlorella protothecoides.

Lead Institution

University of California, Berkeley

Principal Investigator

Jeffrey Moseley

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Auxenochlorella protothecoides is a photosynthetic, Trebouxiophyte alga, with a small, highly compact nuclear genome. Auxenochlorella strains are highly oleaginous, accumulating up to 60% of dry…

Role of Ca in Organic Matter Preservation

Lead Institution

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

Principal Investigator

Sharon Bone

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Calcium can play a major role in the preservation of carbon in the subsurface due to its ability to participate in cation bridging. Ca2+ can link together two negatively charged moieties, such as two…

A Colloid is Born: Understanding iron-rich colloid genesis and transformation for improved watershed biogeochemical models

Lead Institution

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

Principal Investigator

Kristin Boye

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Interfaces between subsurface layers of floodplains are ‘hot spots’ for thriving biogeochemical activity and exchange, owing to distinct compositional and permeability/porosity differences between…

High-resolution spatio-temporal modeling of root-associated microbial communities

Lead Institution

Boston University

Principal Investigator

Daniel Segre

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The goals of the proposed project is to implement high-resolution simulations of synthetic microbial ecosystems around the roots of plants. Towards this goal, we will use our platform for Computation…

The role of Fe(oxyhydr)oxides in regulating the biogeochemical cycling of the essential micronutrients zinc and copper

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Eugene Ilton

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Elements essential for plant growth and nutritious crops (e.g., Fe, Cu, and Zn) are often strongly associated with Fe (oxyhydr)oxides, particularly in more weathered terrains. For example, Zn…

Connecting the Physicochemical Properties with Ice Nucleation Properties of Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOAs) Formed from Multiphase Chemical Processes

Lead Institution

Texas A&M University

Principal Investigator

Yue Zhang

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Organic aerosols (OA), especially secondary organic aerosols (SOA), make up a large fraction of tropospheric fine particulate matter (PM) and up to 80% of the total fine PM in the upper troposphere…

Probing the Martian atmosphere and hydrosphere using micro- and nano-scale analyses

Lead Institution

Royal Ontario Museum

Principal Investigator

Kimberly Tait-Sena

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Mars has long been the primary target in the search for possible life beyond our planet, mainly due to widespread evidence that water once flowed on its surface. Water is an essential ingredient for…

Probing Iron Oxide Mineral Aggregation Behavior with Soil Organic Matters

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Xin Zhang

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The goal of this project is to develop a fundamental understanding of iron oxide nanoparticle (NPs) aggregation mechanisms with soil organic matters (SOM). Heteroaggregation is a ubiquitous but…