Peter H. Pfromm - US grants

ABSTRACT

OCE-0425624

The large size and dynamics of the ocean dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool have made it an important focus of many studies of global elemental cycles. These studies are motivated by the direct and indirect influences of DOM cycling on processes such as global warming and marine productivity. Over the last three decades, numerous compositional studies of various size fractions and chemical extracts have significantly increased our understanding of the origin and cycling of marine DOM. A large fraction of marine DOM, however, still remains compositionally uncharacterized. A major obstacle in the study of marine DOM has been isolating from seawater sufficient quantities for analysis of this highly dilute and chemically complex material.

In this project researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Kansas State University will develop, test, and apply a process using reverse osmosis (RO) in combination with electrodialysis (ED) for the concentration and practical retrieval of significant quantities of essentially unaltered DOM from seawater. RO methods have been shown to recover a significant fraction (90%) of DOM from fresh waters with little physical or chemical alteration. Unfortunately, the extent to which a DOM sample can be concentrated by RO in saline waters is very limited because RO membranes co-concentrate inorganic salts with DOM. Salt accumulation during RO leads to solutions requiring very high pressures during processing to overcome osmotic forces and to formation of membrane-fouling inorganic precipitates. To achieve the same high DOM recoveries from saline waters that are achieved when RO is used to process fresh waters, an independent method for removal of inorganic salts is required. Electrodialysis, a well-established process for removal of inorganic salts from aqueous solutions, is such a method. Preliminary experiments by the co-investigators indicate that ED can significantly reduce salt concentrations in natural waters with little or no loss of DOM. Thus, the proposed process will use ED to reduce the salt concentrations, so that RO techniques can be used to recover DOM.

A series of laboratory experiments using artificial and natural seawater solutions will be used to evaluate and optimize the coupled RO/ED process. During the final stage of this research, the combined technique will be applied to seawater samples. The PIs already have two laboratory-scale ED systems and a portable RO unit capable of processing large volumes of water (hundreds of liters), which represents a significant cost savings to NSF for this work.

Broader Impacts: The expected result from this work is an enabling tool for environmental research that is far superior to the best current techniques (i.e., ultrafiltration) for recovery of marine DOM. Research involving the recovery of complex organic molecules in natural water sources (rivers, lakes, seawater) will be greatly facilitated by a field-deployable method for pre-concentration. In terms of broader educational impacts, this investigation will allow the PIs to train and mentor a diverse group of students and researchers, including several minorities and women.

Biofuels and biobased products can improve environmental quality, rural economies, and national security only through the cross-disciplinary efforts of scientists and engineers with an appreciation for the complexity of the societal, technological, and scientific issues involved. This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) project will prepare a diverse group of new Ph.D.s to have a comprehensive perspective on the biorefining industry. IGERT graduate student trainees will form interdisciplinary core teams encompassing the technological, agricultural, and socioeconomic issues of an aspect of biorefining. Dissertation projects will be conducted with overlapping faculty supervisory committee membership, regular joint meetings, and dissertation chapter(s) and publications addressing the collaborative, integrated research issues and results. New learning opportunities are provided in the classroom, seminars, workshops, certificate programs, and field experiences. This learning will be mutually deepened for trainees and undergraduates through research mentorship opportunities. International education opportunities will be available with partners in Europe and Brazil. This project will result in new technologies and practices that will improve the sustainability of the conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals. As a result of this program, decisions regarding biorefining will be guided not only by technological and/or agricultural feasibility but also by the holistic impact on society. Graduates of this IGERT program will be uniquely prepared to have high-impact careers and to contribute to the biorefining industry through their personal appreciation of the diverse aspects of biorefining. IGERT trainees will have harvested biomass in the field hands-on, discussed and advanced technical and engineering issues, and pondered the impact of their actions on humanity and the environment. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).

This award supports the renovation and reconfiguration of approximately 5,237 square feet of research laboratories at Kansas State University's Durland Hall into collaborative research suites for bioenergy and energy efficiency research. The renovation will create research laboratory space that is designed around an open concept for research by multiple researchers and graduate students working on multiple projects. More specifically, the renovation will consist of demolishing or renovating: walls, doors and hardware, floor and ceiling finishes, ventilation duct work, exhaust and supply units, power distribution systems, lighting, plumbing, and fire protection. Overall, the proposed renovation will construct two flexible Chemical Engineering laboratories for chemical preparation, research, and computation. All new systems and space being constructed will be energy efficient and flexible for future expansion and research.

Intellectual Merit: The development of sustainable and economically viable energy sources is one of the key technological challenges currently facing science and engineering. New technologies historically have been advanced through focused research on numerous components in academic and industrial "silos" and the subsequent integration of these discoveries into an efficient system. Because each component was independently developed, integration can take years and require significant refinement of the individual technologies. For example, significant resources may be focused in one facility member's lab to produce ethanol from cellulosic feedstock, but the very significant energy need of ethanol/water separation is not addressed. Another researcher may try to address the ethanol/water separation in another lab. The synergy of connecting these issues may naturally arise if two doctoral students worked side by side in the same space, not in laboratory "silos." Using the new laboratory suites, researchers will have the tools to develop solutions to one of the grand challenges facing engineers in the 21st century: Sustainable Energy Production. Research activities that will use the renovated facility include an NSF-supported IGERT award on Integrating the Social, Technological, and Agricultural Aspects of Sustainable and Renewable Biorefining, an NSF-supported REU site on Earth, Wind, and Fire that relates to alternative fuels, and the Kansas Center of Innovation in BioRefining and BioEnergy.

Broader Impacts: These laboratories will allow for the refinement of a new research and research training model with a systems-based focus that thoroughly integrates students from various disciplines in collaborative research spaces. The institution plans on documenting its findings in this area, publishing them in journal articles, and presenting them at national conferences.