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Projects

As a scientific user facility, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) provides expertise, instrumentation, and resources to 250 projects each year. 

EMSL projects displayed on the EMSL web site project page reflect project abstracts and information migrated to this page before April 30, 2024. To review current and past EMSL user projects, visit EMSL Science Central.™ 

 

  • Projects beginning at or after given date.
    Projects ending at or before given date.

Identifying the Underlying Mechanism of G5 Domain Interactions

Lead Institution
University of Colorado at Denver
Principal Investigator
Elan Eisenmesser
Project type
Exploratory Research
Despite the remarkable success in employing biofilms for a wide range of applications such as the industrial treatment of wastewater and the potential for utilizing biofilms for biofules, exactly how…

In situ Solid-State NMR Study of Biomass Conversion in Porous Catalysts

Lead Institution
University of California, Santa Barbara
Principal Investigator
Susannah Scott
Project type
Exploratory Research
Biomass represents a renewable and potentially carbon-neutral alternative to fossil fuels for the production of carbon-based chemicals and fuels. Although efficient heterogeneous catalysis is vital…

High Resolution Electron Microscopy Study of Chlorinated gamma-Al2O3

Lead Institution
University of California, Santa Barbara
Principal Investigator
Susannah Scott
Project type
Exploratory Research
Chlorination profoundly alters the surface chemistry of gamma-alumina, and consequently its catalytic properties. Such materials are of high interest in energy conversion, notably hydrocarbon…

Emergent Behavior of Micro-structured Surfaces

Lead Institution
San Diego State University
Principal Investigator
Ilenia Battiato
Project type
Exploratory Research
Surfaces with microscale topological features are ubiquitous in nature and they constitute the physical boundaries that regulate and control energy and mass fluxes between adjacent systems. The…

Bacterial-Algal Synergism Improves Algal Biomass Production

Lead Institution
University of Washington
Principal Investigator
Rose Ann Cattolico
Project type
Exploratory Research
Background: In the proposed work we will use a newly developed experimental system comprised of the alga Chrysochromulina tobin (Haptophyceae) and a bacterial microbiome of limited number (~10…

Towards understanding enzymatic diversity in biological lignin degradation

Lead Institution
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Gregg Beckham
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Lignin is an alkyl-aromatic polymer comprising 15-30% of plant cell walls. It is underutilized in selective conversion processes to produce renewable fuels and chemicals from plant biomass, and is…

Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation Mechanisms and Growth Dynamics

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Rahul Zaveri
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Recent theoretical and laboratory studies have revealed that the timescales of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) partitioning and the associated aerosol size distribution growth dynamics depend on the…

Quantifying the functional and structural states of dynamic microbial communities

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Fredrickson
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
The overall goal of this proposal is to provide a quantitative framework in which to compare species-resolved patterns of gene expression, allowing comparison of the effects of perturbations of…

Sub Nanometer Sized Clusters for Heterogeneous Catalysis

Lead Institution
University of New Mexico
Principal Investigator
Abhaya Datye
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Providing sustainable sources of energy, chemicals, and materials is one of the most important long-term issues facing society. Catalysis plays a central role in creating sustainable sources of…