Projects

Life in the deep terrestrial subsurface: microbial metabolism before and after shale gas extraction

Lead Institution

Colorado State University

Principal Investigator

Michael Wilkins

Project type

Exploratory Research

Black shales underlay much of the continental U.S., and are a critical component of current and future energy resources. To extract hydrocarbons from these formations, shales are hydraulically…

Understanding enzymatic depolymerization of lignin

Lead Institution

Sandia National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Michael Kent

Project type

Exploratory Research

Producing fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is a promising technology to meet the nation's goal of a secure and sustainable energy future. Valorization of lignin is a key…

Identifying the mechanism of bacterial extracellular electron transfer via conductive pili proteins

Lead Institution

Yale University

Principal Investigator

Nikhil Malvankar

Project type

Exploratory Research

Microbial metabolism plays an important role in the global cycling of carbon, nutrients, and metals. Recent discovery of microorganisms sharing energy using direct electrical connections might…

Speciation of trivalent actinides and lanthanides in the ALSEP solvent extraction system

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Tatiana Levitskaia

Project type

Exploratory Research

Nuclear energy is a clean, carbon neutral energy source that can mitigate the effects of climate change in the coming decades by replacing fossil fuel energy sources. Political and societal…

Genomes to dynamic decay communities: Understanding fungal interactions during early decomposition events in natural lignocellulosic substrate

Lead Institution

Swansea University

Principal Investigator

Dan Eastwood

Project type

FICUS Research

Understanding the microbial decomposition of lignocellulose and its contribution to global carbon cycling requires realistic model systems that go beyond in silico and single culture analyses. Fungal…

3D Reality Check: Developing Structural Support for Predicting Microbial Function and Interpreting Microbial "Omics" Data

Lead Institution

Marine Biological Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Zoe Cardon

Project type

FICUS Research

Microbial activities on which humanity and ecosystems depend, and which influence climate and support biofuel production, are determined both by microbial community membership and by the resources…

Molecular identification of non-proteinaceous biological particles towards nucleating ice

Lead Institution

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Principal Investigator

Ottmar Mohler

Project type

Exploratory Research

A small number of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles (INPs) can induce freezing of supercooled droplets in tropospheric clouds and conceivably influence precipitation and the planet’s climate…

Deciphering the Chemical Language of Organic-Mineral Interactions to Develop New Biodesign Strategies and Improve Climate Records

Lead Institution

University of Washington

Principal Investigator

Alexander Gagnon

Project type

Exploratory Research

The shape and pace of skeletal growth in shells and bones are controlled though a complex set of interactions between biologically produced organic compounds and the growing mineral. If we could…

Single Cell Lipid Turnover Analysis in Advanced Biofuel Synthesis (SCLTA)

Lead Institution

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Principal Investigator

Gregory Stephanopoulos

Project type

Exploratory Research

Sustainable supersonic jets and race cars have become a reality due to the microbial production of advanced biofuels and their ‘drop in’ compatibility with the existing transportation infrastructure…

Probing bacterial extracellular electron transfer proteins using infrared nanospectroscopy

Lead Institution

Yale University

Principal Investigator

Nikhil Malvankar

Project type

Exploratory Research

Microbial metabolism plays an important role in the global cycling of carbon, nutrients, and metals. Recent discovery of microorganisms sharing energy using direct electrical connections might…

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 continue the collaborative access team (CAT) to optimize…

3-D Active Site Distribution and Porosity in Microporous Materials

Lead Institution

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

Principal Investigator

Simon Bare

Project type

Exploratory Research

The aim of this proposal is to build upon our initial success in the exploration of the 3-D location and distribution of the Al and Si atoms in highly relevant and active microporous catalysts, with…

Understanding Doping and Coating for Improvement of Electrochemical Performance in High Voltage Lithium Ion Cathode Materials

Lead Institution

University of California, San Diego

Principal Investigator

Ying Meng

Project type

Exploratory Research

Lithium ion batteries are the top candidates for on-board energy storage in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as well as fully electric vehicles due to their high energy and power density. One group…

Numerical Studies of the Lifecycle of Aerosols and Their Interactions with Clouds

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jerome Fast

Project type

Exploratory Research

A major PNNL research effort, funded through DOE's Atmospheric System Research (ASR) Program, focuses on knowledge gaps in aerosol effects on climate, including: • Aerosol aging and its impact…

Investigation into MOF formation, post-synthetic modification (PSM) and post-synthetic exchange (PSE) via in situ liquid phase TEM analysis and high resolution TEM and STEM

Lead Institution

University of California, San Diego

Principal Investigator

Nathan Gianneschi

Project type

Exploratory Research

The kinetics and dynamics of metal–organic framework (MOF) formation and subsequent reactivity of the structural elements of MOFs have not been examined with nanoscale resolution. In situ TEM…

NMR studies of mass transport in Li-ion battery electrolyte solutions

Lead Institution

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Venkat Srinivasan

Project type

Exploratory Research

Electrification of vehicles is a critical component of DOE's efforts to reduce the dependence on foreign oil and greenhouse gas emissions. Improvements and cost reductions in lithium-ion battery…

Dissolved Organic Matter in Serpentinization-Influenced Groundwater: Fingerprints of Deep and Shallow Sources

Lead Institution

Michigan State University

Principal Investigator

Matthew Schrenk

Project type

Exploratory Research

The aim of this study is to provide a detailed description of the composition and the quantity of dissolved organic matter in serpentinite-hosted groundwaters, capitalizing upon a well-studied…

Investigating Electrochemical Processes in Next Generation Multivalent Battery Technologies

Lead Institution

University of Liverpool

Principal Investigator

Nigel Browning

Project type

Exploratory Research

The specific aim of this project is to probe the structure-property relationships of energy storage materials based on multivalent ions (Mg2+, Ca2+ and Al3+) under dynamic electrochemical cycling…

Characterizing motion and adhesion dynamics of motile microbes for improved prediction of metal bioremediation

Lead Institution

Desert Research Institute

Principal Investigator

Rishi Parashar

Project type

Exploratory Research

Remediation of metal and radionuclide contaminants in soil and groundwater systems is challenging because of their strong chemical interactions with mineral surfaces and low concentration limits for…

Operando spectroscopic studies of solvo-catalytic lignin disassembly

Lead Institution

University of California, Santa Barbara

Principal Investigator

Susannah Scott

Project type

Exploratory Research

Lignocellulosic biomass represents an abundant and renewable resource that could displace a significant amount of the nation’s petroleum, but its widespread utilization will require the development…