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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.

Isotopic Measurements for MAJORANA

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Richard Kouzes
Project type
Exploratory Research
The current focal point of PNNL's nuclear physics program is the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, and the follow-on 1-tonne scale experiment, a large array of ultra-low background high-purity germanium…

Defects in Transparent Conductive beta-Ga2O3 Single Crystals

Lead Institution
University of Washington
Principal Investigator
Marjorie Olmstead
Project type
Exploratory Research
In this proposal we motivate and describe a series of ion beam experiments and density functional theory calculations to be conducted at EMSL, which will answer fundamental questions about the origin…

The characterization of phosphorus recovered from dairy effluent using biochar and polymer flocculation methods.

Lead Institution
United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Unit
Principal Investigator
Harold Collins
Project type
Exploratory Research
The current economic climate in conjunction with rising production costs and environmental concerns over phosphorus fertilizer and dairy nutrient management issues requires research to evaluate on…

A New Approach to a Deep Understanding of Biomass Recalcitrance

Lead Institution
Washington State University Tri-Cities
Principal Investigator
Xiao Zhang
Project type
Exploratory Research
A deep understanding of 'biomass recalcitrance' is a key to the development of cost effective pretreatment and discovery of highly efficient cell wall polysaccharide degrading enzyme…

Characterization of Aerosol Organics by LC-MSn

Lead Institution
Desert Research Institute
Principal Investigator
Douglas Lowenthal
Project type
Exploratory Research
Aerosols contribute to the Earth's radiation balance directly by absorbing and scattering light and indirectly by nucleating cloud droplets which increase planetary albedo. Both effects depend…

Advanced IMPROVE Studies

Lead Institution
Desert Research Institute
Principal Investigator
Douglas Lowenthal
Project type
Exploratory Research
The proposed collaboration with Dr. Lizabeth Alexander of PNNL will enable continuous measurement of size-resolved aerosol chemical composition using the EMSL high resolution time-of-flight Aerosol…

Metal-blacks for plasmonic enhancement of solar-cell efficiency

Lead Institution
University of Central Florida
Principal Investigator
Robert Peale
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Metal-blacks are nano-structured porous metal films that have potential to enhance the efficiency of thin film solar cells via transverse scattering and concentration of the incident electromagnetic…

Proteomic Analysis of Model Metal-reducing Microbial Communities

Lead Institution
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Dwayne Elias
Project type
Exploratory Research
The sulfate- and Fe(III)- reducing bacteria (SRB and IRB) are primarily responsible for metals and radionuclide immobilization in porous subsurface sediments. Desulfovibrio vulgaris and Geobacter…

Study of Catalytic Properties of Atomic Gold in Polyaniline

Lead Institution
Georgia Institute of Technology
Principal Investigator
Miraslawa Josowicz
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Study of Catalytic Properties of Atomic Gold in Polyaniline Project Lead: Mira Josowicz, Ph.D Project Lead Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech Research Corporation Abstract…

Develop fundamental surface science characterization data for use in improving mixed alcohol synthesis catalysts via Computational Investigation of Ethanol Synthesis from Biomass-derived Syngas Using Rh-based Catalysts

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Shawn Kathmann
Project type
Exploratory Research
Novel catalyst design is essential and combined experimental and theoretical/computational catalysis can provide the essential mechanisms, influence of promoters, energetics, selectivity, and…

Surface-Induced Dissociation of Large Molecules in Mass Spectrometry

Lead Institution
Purdue University
Principal Investigator
Julia Laskin
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
The general objective of our research is to achieve a fundamental understanding of the reaction kinetics and dynamics of activating and dissociating complex molecular ions, develop molecular level…

Assembly of the mRNA 3'-end processing machinery

Lead Institution
University of Washington
Principal Investigator
Gabriele Varani
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
We propose to use NMR to study the structural basis for the assembly of the protein complex responsible for the formation of mature 3'-ends of mRNAs by cleavage and polyadenylation, and the…