Projects

Microbial controls on biogeochemical cycling in deep subsurface shale carbon reservoirs

Lead Institution

Colorado State University

Principal Investigator

Kelly Wrighton

Project type

FICUS Research

Terrestrial deep shales and their interfaces are carbon-rich environments that represent a significant component of the U.S. energy portfolio. Energy resources in these environments have recently…

Decoding DOM degradation: how does carbon source and sunlight exposure alter microbial metabolism and expression of genome-encoded metabolic degradation of permafrost organic matter?

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Byron Crump

Project type

FICUS Research

Climate change in the Arctic is progressing rapidly, thawing large areas of permafrost that contain nearly half of the world's soil organic carbon. Conversion of this carbon pool to greenhouse…

Sensing External Metals by Outer Membrane Beta-Barrel Proteins

Lead Institution

Georgia Institute of Technology

Principal Investigator

Thomas DiChristina

Project type

FICUS Research

Metal-reducing bacteria drive a variety of environmentally important processes, including the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and metals, the bioremediation of radionuclides and organohalides, and…

Elucidating the Influences of Engineered N-glycosylation Motifs in Bacterial Biomass Hydrolyzing Enzymes upon Heterologous and Native Gene Expression, Secretion and Degradation in Aspergillus niger

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jon Magnuson

Project type

FICUS Research

Aspergillus niger is a genetically tractable model organism for scientific discovery and a platform organism used in industry for the production of enzymes for biomass degradation and other…

Development of a Computationally Inexpensive Method for Incorporating Shear-Dispersion into Pore Network Models Using Micromodel Experimental Data

Lead Institution

University of Texas at Austin

Principal Investigator

Matthew Balhoff

Project type

Exploratory Research

The mixed-cell method (MCM) is the most commonly used Eulerian pore-scale model for reactive flow and transport. Two major disadvantages of MCM are its assumptions of (1) pore-level perfect mixing,…

Laboratory Testing of a Novel Unbalanced Recirculation Method for Field Matrix (Back) Diffusion Quantification

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Mart Oostrom

Project type

Exploratory Research

There is a distinct need to develop and validate field-scale methods for estimating matrix (back) diffusion because degradation and diffusion of contaminants at interfaces of low- and high…

Collaborative Access Team: the Pooled Resources for Electron Microscopy Informatics, Education and Research (PREMIER) Network

Lead Institution

University of Liverpool

Principal Investigator

Nigel Browning

Project type

Exploratory Research

The executive committee of the Pooled Resources for Electron Microscopy Informatics, Education and Research (PREMIER) network is proposing to form a collaborative access team (CAT) to optimize…

Microbial Adaptation in Response to Environmental Stress in Polluted Groundwater Aquifers

Lead Institution

University of Texas at Austin

Principal Investigator

Charles Werth

Project type

Exploratory Research

Steep gradients in chemical concentration, redox potential, pH, and temperature are common in the environment. They are often "hotspots" of microbial activity and diversity. For example,…

Optimization of Bio-Nano Interfaces for Bioenergy Harvesting and Biosensing Applications using Computational Studies

Lead Institution

University of New Mexico

Principal Investigator

Ivana Gonzales

Project type

Exploratory Research

The goal of this proposal is to determine details of the electrochemical processes at the enzyme-support interface when pyrroloquinoline quinone dependent enzymes are used as biocatalysts in bio…

Mass spectral characterization of submicron aerosol particles in the Amazon rain forest as part of GoAmazon2014

Lead Institution

Harvard University

Principal Investigator

Scot Martin

Project type

Exploratory Research

GoAmazon2014, a field campaign approved by DOE ARM, focuses on the influence of pollutant outflow from a tropical megacity (Manaus) on the lifecycles of aerosols and clouds, as well as on aerosol…

Carbon management and energy efficiency through chemical reactivity of CO2.

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Vassiliki-Alexandra Glezakou

Project type

Exploratory Research

Advances in computational software and computer architectures have enabled the study of complicated phenomena resulting from intensified efforts towards energy efficiency, emissions management and…

In Situ and Ex Situ Studies of Energy Storage Materials

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Karl Mueller

Project type

Exploratory Research

Innovation of energy storage technology depends critically on the fundamental understanding of the operating mechanism and dynamic interaction across different components in the storage unit. With…

Understanding bio-oil aging and competing thermal reactions with the use of continuous in situ NMR and EPR techniques

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Mariefel Olarte

Project type

Exploratory Research

Biomass is the most readily available renewable source of liquid transportation fuel. According to DOE, fast pyrolysis followed by catalytic upgrading is projected to be the most cost effective among…

Understanding and Utilizing Block Copolymer Templates for the Preparation of Bimetallic Catalysts for Fuel Cell Applications

Lead Institution

Western Washington University

Principal Investigator

David Rider

Project type

Exploratory Research

The invention of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) occurred over a half-century ago and, in spite of extensive developments of its science and its components, its widespread…

The role of protein-mineral interactions for protein oxidation and hydrolysis

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Markus Kleber

Project type

Exploratory Research

We intend (1) to establish the molecular range of modifications to protein integrity and protein structure as such protein becomes associated with mineral surfaces and (2) to determine how mechanisms…

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy structure determination of the cobalamin binding protein HgcA required for bacterial mercury methylation

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Alexander Johs

Project type

Exploratory Research

Mercury is a pervasive global pollutant. Its methylated form, methylmercury, poses a substantial threat to human health. Methylation of mercury (Hg) by anaerobic bacteria is the primary source of…

Effect of organic carbon functional groups on the trapping and transformations of U(VI)

Lead Institution

Stanford University

Principal Investigator

Gordon Brown

Project type

Exploratory Research

Understanding the behavior of U(VI) in natural environments is crucial for controlling U contamination from uranium mining and milling activities at DOE legacy sites [1]. Previous studies of U…

Impact of Cholesterol and Some of its Oxidized Derivatives on DPPC in Langmuir Monolayers

Lead Institution

The Ohio State University

Principal Investigator

Heather Allen

Project type

Exploratory Research

The proposed research aims to understand how oxysterols alter the conformation and orientation of lipids in Langmuir monolayers, and how the concentration and chemical modifications of Chol modulate…

Ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry analysis of permafrost soil organic carbon composition and interactions in the Arctic environment

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Baohua Gu

Project type

Exploratory Research

Arctic permafrost soils contain as much organic carbon as was believed to exist in all soils worldwide and are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Yet, the exact chemical form and composition…

The role of protein - mineral interactions for protein cycling in soil and protein extraction efficiency from soils

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Markus Kleber

Project type

Exploratory Research

We intend (1) to improve the ability to detect proteins in physical soil fractions, and (2) to discover preferences of exoenzymes for relevant classes of mineral components in soil. The latter will…