Science & Research

New Mexico is known as the Land of Enchantment — a place of great beauty, abundant natural resources, and rich cultural diversity. The state has great potential for leading the nation in sustainable energy development, and Energize New Mexico is paving the way. The science teams are studying how to increase efficiency of resource utilization and extractive technologies, and whether water and enivronmental resources can sustain extractive energy development with little to no risk.
 
 

Six Science & Research Components

Click an item below to discover Year 2 accomplishments in each component.

Bioalgal Energy

University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University,
Eastern New Mexico University, Santa Fe Community College

Making algal biomass a sustainable, economically viable component of New Mexico's renewable energy portfolio

At UNM, the Bioalgal team is pursuing novel ways to culture cells while maintaining photosynthetic function. The team found that encapsulating living algae cells with bacterium generates electricity better than just algae or bacteria alone. At ENMU, researchers are using the EPSCoR-funded Algal Turf Scrubber, a cutting-edge solar/algal technology that harnesses algae to capture the energy of sunlight and build algal biomass from CO2.

Also during Year 2, the NMSU team worked on hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), a process that converts algae into a liquid biofuel that can be used either directly as energy or as materials to help fuel wastewater decontamination and utilization. A particular species of algae, Galdieria sulphuraria, demonstrated removal of contaminants and a decrease in the quantity of oxygen used by microorganisms in primary-settled wastewater. As a result, the NMSU team recently completed deployment of an algal-based wastewater treatment system in partnership with the Las Cruces Wastewater Treatment Facility.

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Geothermal

University of New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, Valles Caldera National Preserve

HIGHLIGHT: On location with the Geothermal team, locating & mapping geothermal systems

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In Year 2, the Geothermal team worked towards a better understanding of underlying hydrothermal systems in New Mexico by locating and mapping blind systems and creating a statewide database of these systems (click button on the left for more). Team members and students received training on the EPSCoR-funded, state-of-the-art Zonge magnetotelluric (MT) system, which will help the team detect possible geothermal structures underground. The MT system also allows for estimation of geothermal reservoir temperatures at various depths.

Energize New Mexico funding also allowed for an inter-institutional graduate level course, "Geothermal Energy: Tectonic setting, exploration, production, and sustainability." The class provided a unique opportunity to combine research with education as students were actively involved and engaged in the geothermal team's research activities.

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Solar Energy

New Mexico Highlands University, New Mexico Tech, University of New Mexico

Taking advantage of New Mexico's 300+ days of sunshine per year

Solar team members addressing solar fuel alternatives in Year 2 developed a new approach to converting CO2 in the atmosphere to methanol and hydrogen fuel (formic acid) through solar-driven oxidation. Using the nanoparticle Zinc Sulfide (ZnS) as the catalyst due to its abundance, low toxicity, and low cost, this study is the first to experimentally examine the photocatalytic differences between two ZnS minerals: wurtzite and sphalerite.

NM EPSCoR funding in Year 2 provided new spectroscopic lab equipment, including lasers at UNM's Center for High Technology Materials. Collaboration between NM Tech and UNM is further strenthening inter-institutional relationships and enhancing our capacity to employ time-resolved spectroscopy to achieve research goals.

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Uranium Transport & Site Remediation

University of New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, New Mexico Highlands University

Acquiring a better understanding of uranium distribution, forms, and mobility for responsible development and remediation

A great deal of field research occurred in Year 2, with the uranium team employing batch experiments, sequential extrations, advanced microscopy and spectroscopy, and chemical analysis to characterize samples collected from Laguna Pueblo and the Navajo Nation. On Laguna Pueblo, the team placed dust traps for studying wind transport of uranium molecules, and water and soil samples were collected from all field locations. Testing revealed higher than normal amounts of uranium in surface water as it passes the Jackpile-Paguate mine, with a decreased concentration as the water travels south, most likely due to differences in sediment composition.

Other team members traveled to the Navajo Nation near Shiprock, AZ, an area known to have high uranium concentration in nearby spring water used by small communities. Soil samples show an elevated presence of uranium, with dissolution and desorption shown as the primary mechanisms related to mobility of uranium molecules in the area.

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Social & Natural Science Nexus

Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech,
Sandia National Laboratories, University of New Mexico, Valles Caldera National Preserve

Using powerful and integrative modeling tools to determine the best options for energy development in New Mexico

The Social and Natural Science Nexus team is focused on creating a Systems Dynamics (SD) model, an innovative way to increase understanding of the behavior of the complex system of water, energy, the environment, and people. An experimental economic lab was completed at UNM using Energize New Mexico funding. More data collection for the SD model continued in Year 2, including development of a framework for fossil fuel energy production and a preliminary SD model for the San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico. The team gathered and transformed data to be compatible with the modeling effort, and existing algorithms were developed for incorporation into the SD model. In partnership with the Office of the State Engineer, creation of a statewide, dynamic water budget is well underway. This water budget will also be incorporated in to the final SD model, but it will also benefit the state as a whole as we wrestle with water scarcity due to our prolonged drought.

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Osmotic Power Development

Eastern New Mexico University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico Highlands University, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech

HIGHLIGHT: Hollow Fiber Membrane Fabrication & Characterization Workshop

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Produced water refers to water generated as a byproduct of drilling for oil and gas. New Mexico alone generates about 28 billion gallons of produced water per year, and most of it is discarded as wastewater. The Osmotic Power Development team is trying to cut down on discarded wastewater by using produced water to generate clean energy through a process called pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). In Year 2, the team neared completion and implementation on design and fabrication of hollow fiber membranes, a key component of the PRO system that increases the efficiency of the process (click button on the left for more).

The team continues collaborations with California-based company Trevi Systems and the Apache Corporation in southeast New Mexico. Apache Corporation provides highly contaminated produced water for analysis and testing of the membranes and the PRO system, and Trevi Systems helped the team gain new knowledge about how to produce clean water from wastewater at a lower cost and lower energy use. Optimization of the membrane materials continues, and selected designs will be prototyped using a custom-made 3D printer. Working prototypes may be adopted by Trevi Systems in the future.