NETL’s ongoing water-energy research projects, including efforts to extract critical minerals (CMs) from water and other waste streams in support of the Administration’s work to revitalize coal, oil and gas, and powerplant communities impacted by the transition to clean energy, are highlighted in the latest edition of Water-Energy Nexus News. The newsletter recaps a presentation by Mengling Stuckman, Ph.D., in which she discussed the Lab’s research to support sustainable, domestic CM recovery from energy production waste streams. In remarks at a Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association water and waste management seminar, Stuckman explained how NETL’s efforts could help the U.S. end its reliance on foreign countries to obtain CMs. Other updates in this edition of Water-Energy Nexus News include:

The Energy Data eXchange (EDX), an NETL-developed virtual library and data laboratory built to advance fossil energy and environmental research and development (R&D), celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. EDX supports the entire lifecycle of data by offering secure, private collaborative workspaces to help scientists maximize their research potential and further critical technology advancements. The virtual tool has seen wide success since its inception and is in a prime position to support the artificial intelligence and machine learning big data revolution currently under way.

NETL leadership and experts, including NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., joined representatives from 11 universities as they gathered virtually to discuss project successes during the 2021 University Coalition for Fossil Energy Research (UCFER) Annual Technical Review Meeting this week. NETL Deputy Director and Chief Technology Officer Sean Plasynski, Ph.D., kicked off the second day of the meeting with opening remarks, proceeded by an administrative update from UCFER DOE Project Officer Omer Bakshi. “UCFER has provided significant results since its inception six years ago,” Bakshi said. “To date, 18 of the 43 funded projects have been completed, and 25 are ongoing. The presentations we saw this week confirmed that the research of our partner universities will continue to lead to important breakthroughs for the decarbonization of the economy.”

NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., will welcome representatives from 11 universities for the virtual 2021 University Coalition for Fossil Energy Research (UCFER) Annual Technical Review Meeting Oct. 5-6, 2021. “Partnerships like UCFER help the Lab leverage its connections, resources and expertise to develop critical carbon management technologies,” Anderson said. “The dedication of our University partners across UCFER to our mission is an inspiration when we see the innovations from see the best and brightest minds from universities across the country.” During the two-day event, researchers for selected active projects will give virtual presentations on technologies spanning topics that will include carbon capture, carbon storage, crosscutting research, carbon ore processing, fuel cell technologies, gasification systems, coal and coal-biomass to liquids, natural gas technologies, and rare earth elements.

The September 2021 edition of RWFI E-Note Monthly, the newsletter of NETL’s Regional Workforce Initiative, highlights how communities can apply for funds to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and build economic diversity and resiliency to mitigate impacts during future economic challenges. This month’s newsletter also outlines how to submit proposals to fund innovative projects to reclaim land after mining operations have ceased and develop training programs in brownfield assessment and cleanup.

In June 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management announced up to $6.75 million in funding for the Subsurface Hydrogen Assessment, Storage, and Technology Acceleration (SHASTA) project, which will leverage the unique capabilities and demonstrated expertise of NETL, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to determine the viability, safety, and reliability of storing pure hydrogen and challenges associated with hydrogen/natural gas blends in subsurface environments.

A new superalloy, developed by Haynes International and tested by a collaborative effort led by NETL, has received American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) approval for use in the next generation of power plants that will operate with enhanced efficiency and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. The ASME, whose code and standards are regarded as the world’s leading set of rules for the design of pressure equipment, approved the nickel-based superalloy for use in boilers, fired heaters, pressure vessels and other key components at conditions of up to 875 degrees Celsius (1,607 degrees Fahrenheit), which covers maximum anticipated operating conditions of Advanced Ultra-Supercritical (AUSC) plus carbon dioxide (CO2) capture power plants. Across much of the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, the ASME code stamp is required for boiler and pressure vessel installations and is a mandatory requirement of many insurance companies.

This quarter’s Research Associate Spotlight and Mentor Profile illustrates how pairing an experienced NETL researcher with an up-and-coming scientist can open new roads to discovery and facilitate faster technology development at lower cost. Research associate Fei Xue, a participant in the NETL Post Graduate Research Program administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, explains how working with his mentor, Youhai Wen, interacting with other NETL experts and using the Lab’s Joule 2.0 supercomputer, among the most powerful in the nation, are advancing important research in the field of computational science and engineering. Through science-based simulations, multiscale modeling and data analytics, Xue is making meaningful contributions to NETL’s efforts to analyze and predict performance of materials used in a diverse set of energy research projects while accelerating development of clean energy technologies.

The August 2021 edition of RWFI E-Note Monthly, the newsletter of NETL’s Regional Workforce Initiative, outlines how schools and worker education programs can apply for funding from the National Science Foundation to prepare the next generation of technicians for high-technology fields. The foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program supports curriculum and professional development of college faculty and secondary teachers while encouraging partnerships among academic institutions (grades 7-12 and two-year institutes of higher education) and industry and economic development agencies to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians. Materials developed may also be used for incumbent worker education.

A special July Technical Focus Issue of Materials Evaluation (ME) detailed three University-led research and development projects made possible through a partnership with NETL under the Crosscutting Research University Training and Research (UTR) program, which supports energy research at colleges and universities nationwide, including minority institutions. Each project advances robotics-based inspection in unique ways and serves to underscore how NETL is helping to investigate novel technologies that will become viable solutions to industry in the future. NETL began collaborating with Florida International University (FIU), The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) and New Mexico State University (NMSU), through the “Automated Plant Component Inspection, Analysis, and Repair Enabled by Robotics” topic in the competitive 2018 UTR funding opportunity announcement (FOA). In recent years, each team has continued to advance their respective robotic-based inspection technologies.