EPA approves renewable gasoline blendstock derived from ORNL invention

The US Environmental Protection Agency has approved the registration and use of a renewable gasoline blendstock developed by Vertimass LLC and ORNL that can significantly reduce the emissions profile of vehicles when added to conventional fuels. EPA approved the blending of up to 20% of the VertiGas20 green gasoline product with conventional gasoline. The low-cost, biomass-derived product is made from renewable ethanol produced by a method called conventional alcohol deoxygenation and oligomerization, or CADO, a technology invented at ORNL. Read more

SCIENCE WATCH

First-of-its-kind integrated dataset enables genes-to-ecosystems research—A first-ever dataset bridging molecular information about the poplar tree microbiome to ecosystem-level processes has been released by a team of DOE scientists led by ORNL. The project aims to inform research regarding how natural systems function, their vulnerability to a changing climate, and ultimately how plants might be engineered for better performance as sources of bioenergy and natural carbon storage. Read more

New eco-friendly lubricant additives protect turbine equipment, waterways—ORNL scientists developed lubricant additives that protect both water turbine equipment and the surrounding environment. To create nontoxic, biodegradable, and high-performing lubricant additives for water power turbines, researchers turned to ionic liquids: organic liquid salts that mix well with oil, reduce friction between bearings and gears, and remain stable in a range of temperatures. Read more

Plant transformation capability highlighted in new video—A new animated video provides an overview of the gene-stacking approach ORNL scientists developed to accelerate the transformation of plants into better biomass crops for sustainable aviation fuel production. The capability lets scientists successfully insert multiple genes into plants in a single step to improve physical traits. Read more

Divining peak groundwater—Groundwater withdrawals are expected to peak in about one-third of the world’s basins by 2050, potentially triggering significant trade and agriculture shifts, a new analysis found. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and ORNL examined water, energy, and food systems for 235 basins under 900 scenarios to analyze patterns in nonrenewable groundwater usage over the 21st century, as detailed in Nature Sustainability. Read more

Researchers offer US roadmap to close the carbon cycle—Scientists at ORNL and six other DOE national laboratories have developed a US-based perspective for achieving net-zero carbon emissions. The roadmap was recently published in Nature Reviews Chemistry. The researchers pooled their diverse expertise to devise a roadmap to “defossilize” portions of the US economy by reducing carbon emissions from segments of the market that are challenging to electrify. Read more

ORNL at the Climate READi workshop: Resilient power systems in the context of climate change—ORNL and other institutions joined industry stakeholders in exploring solutions for power grid climate resilience at the Climate READi Southeast workshop co-hosted by the Electric Power Research Institute and the lab’s Water Power Program in April. Read more

2023 Billion-Ton Report webinar available for viewing—ORNL’s Matt Langholtz and Maggie Davis joined DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office Director Valerie Sarisky-Reed and BETO Technology Manager Mark Elless on April 16 for a virtual webinar on findings in the recently released 2023 Billion-Ton Report. Watch here

New advanced manufacturing opportunity for hydropower projects—The DOE Water Power Technologies Office and ORNL have opened a new technical collaboration opportunity for industry partners interested in developing innovative hydropower technologies using advanced materials and manufacturing. This opportunity provides selected participants with access to DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL. Read more

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Kline elected AAAS Fellow—Keith Kline joined Rigoberto Advincula and Takeshi Egami in being elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Kline was recognized by the AAAS section on Societal Impacts of Science and Engineering “for distinction in promoting evidence-based research and stakeholder engagement to improve natural resource management around the globe.” Read more

Iversen featured in DOE’s Northern Lights series—Colleen Iversen is featured in an interview by the DOE Arctic Energy Office as part of their Northern Lights series, highlighting the achievements and lives of DOE scientists with Arctic and Alaska connections. Iversen recounted her experiences with the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments in the Arctic (NGEE Arctic) project in the interview. Read more

Hoffman recognized as Senior Member of IEEE—Forrest Hoffman has been recognized as a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, or IEEE. Read more

Mathews named co-author for new national report—Teresa Mathews has been named a co-author for the Assessment Methods chapter of a new report, the National Nature Assessment, by the US Global Change Research Program.

Colberg achieves PACE certification—Marla Colberg earned a Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence, which signifies a high level of expertise and knowledge in the administrative profession.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Thornton posts Earth Day message—Peter Thornton, director of ORNL’s Climate Change Science Institute, posted a message of hope in the face of climate change on social media, in honor of Earth Day. View here

Bolton details science behind changing Arctic—Bob Bolton presented his work in Alaska with NGEE Arctic and previously with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, to the Friends of ORNL group in the Oak Ridge community. Read more

Q&A with Erin Webb

Toward a Tennessee circular bioeconomy

In February, the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute selected a circular bioeconomy project as one of its newest Convergent Research Initiatives for joint research. Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Erin Webb will co-lead the five-year Circular Bioeconomy Systems CRI with UT’s Niki Labbe.

“If you’re good at solving puzzles, at thinking creatively and engaging in a new mindset, there’s a place for you in this setting of big, diverse, integrated team science.”

Webb is lead for the Bioresource Science and Engineering group and relationship manager for DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, or BETO, at ORNL. Webb discussed the CRI’s first steps, long-term goals, and how her experience as a first-generation, farm-family college student motivates her work. Read more

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.