diff --git a/src/main/java/algebra/curves/barreto_lynn_scott/BLSBinaryReader.java b/src/main/java/algebra/curves/barreto_lynn_scott/BLSBinaryReader.java
index 15d22af..e0bf1a0 100644
--- a/src/main/java/algebra/curves/barreto_lynn_scott/BLSBinaryReader.java
+++ b/src/main/java/algebra/curves/barreto_lynn_scott/BLSBinaryReader.java
@@ -78,14 +78,24 @@ public BLSFrT readFr() throws IOException {
 
   @Override
   public BLSG1T readG1() throws IOException {
-    return G1One.construct(readFq(), readFq(), FqOne);
+    final var x = readFq();
+    final var y = readFq();
+    if (x.isZero() && y.isOne()) {
+      return G1One.zero();
+    }
+
+    return G1One.construct(x, y, FqOne);
   }
 
   @Override
   public BLSG2T readG2() throws IOException {
-    final BLSFq2T X = readFq2();
-    final BLSFq2T Y = readFq2();
-    return G2One.construct(X, Y, Y.one());
+    final BLSFq2T x = readFq2();
+    final BLSFq2T y = readFq2();
+    if (x.isZero() && y.isOne()) {
+      return G2One.zero();
+    }
+
+    return G2One.construct(x, y, y.one());
   }
 
   protected BLSFqT readFq() throws IOException {
diff --git a/src/main/java/algebra/curves/barreto_naehrig/BNBinaryReader.java b/src/main/java/algebra/curves/barreto_naehrig/BNBinaryReader.java
index 9793202..0a60fa6 100644
--- a/src/main/java/algebra/curves/barreto_naehrig/BNBinaryReader.java
+++ b/src/main/java/algebra/curves/barreto_naehrig/BNBinaryReader.java
@@ -76,14 +76,24 @@ public BNFrT readFr() throws IOException {
 
   @Override
   public BNG1T readG1() throws IOException {
-    return G1One.construct(readFq(), readFq(), FqOne);
+    final var x = readFq();
+    final var y = readFq();
+    if (x.isZero() && y.isOne()) {
+      return G1One.zero();
+    }
+
+    return G1One.construct(x, y, FqOne);
   }
 
   @Override
   public BNG2T readG2() throws IOException {
-    final BNFq2T X = readFq2();
-    final BNFq2T Y = readFq2();
-    return G2One.construct(X, Y, Y.one());
+    final var x = readFq2();
+    final var y = readFq2();
+    if (x.isZero() && y.isOne()) {
+      return G2One.zero();
+    }
+
+    return G2One.construct(x, y, y.one());
   }
 
   protected BNFqT readFq() throws IOException {
diff --git a/src/main/java/common/PairRDDAggregator.java b/src/main/java/common/PairRDDAggregator.java
index 4790586..4027013 100644
--- a/src/main/java/common/PairRDDAggregator.java
+++ b/src/main/java/common/PairRDDAggregator.java
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import org.apache.spark.api.java.JavaPairRDD;
 import org.apache.spark.api.java.JavaSparkContext;
+import org.apache.spark.storage.StorageLevel;
+
 import scala.Tuple2;
 import scala.collection.JavaConverters;
 
@@ -53,7 +55,18 @@ public JavaPairRDD<K, V> aggregate() {
   }
 
   void processBatch() {
-    batches.add(sc.parallelizePairs(currentBatch, numPartitions));
+    System.out.println("processBatch: " + String.valueOf(batches.size()));
+    final var newBatchRDD = sc.parallelizePairs(currentBatch, numPartitions);
+
+    // To avoid running out of memory, 'checkpoint' the RDD.  (The goal is to
+    // force it to be fully evaluated (and potentially evicted to disk),
+    // removing any need to recompute it, since receomputing requires that the
+    // original array of batch data must be present in memory somewhere).
+    newBatchRDD.cache();
+    newBatchRDD.checkpoint();
+    // newBatchRDD.persist(StorageLevel.MEMORY_AND_DISK());
+
+    batches.add(newBatchRDD);
     currentBatch = null;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/prover/Prover.java b/src/main/java/prover/Prover.java
index 3b17e57..9c6b68b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/prover/Prover.java
+++ b/src/main/java/prover/Prover.java
@@ -125,6 +125,12 @@ static JavaSparkContext createSparkContext(boolean local) {
     final SparkSession spark = sessionBuilder.getOrCreate();
 
     spark.sparkContext().conf().set("spark.files.overwrite", "true");
+
+    // checkpoint directory
+    spark.sparkContext().setCheckpointDir("hdfs://ip-172-31-42-216:9000/checkpoints/");
+    // clean checkpoint files if the reference is out of scope
+    // spark.sparkContext().conf().set("spark.cleaner.referenceTracking.cleanCheckpoints", "true");
+
     // TODO: reinstate this when it can be made to work
     //   spark.sparkContext().conf().set(
     //     "spark.serializer",
diff --git a/src/test/java/algebra/curves/GenericBinaryWriterTest.java b/src/test/java/algebra/curves/GenericBinaryWriterTest.java
index a3854c2..edd6422 100644
--- a/src/test/java/algebra/curves/GenericBinaryWriterTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/algebra/curves/GenericBinaryWriterTest.java
@@ -30,14 +30,17 @@ public void testBinaryWriter(
     {
       var writer = mkWriter.apply(os);
 
+      writer.writeFr(frOne.zero());
       writer.writeFr(frOne);
       writer.writeFr(frOne.construct(-1));
       writer.writeFr(frOne.construct(2));
       writer.writeFr(frOne.construct(-2));
+      writer.writeG1(g1One.zero());
       writer.writeG1(g1One);
       writer.writeG1(g1One.mul(frOne.construct(-1)));
       writer.writeG1(g1One.mul(frOne.construct(2)));
       writer.writeG1(g1One.mul(frOne.construct(-2)));
+      writer.writeG2(g2One.zero());
       writer.writeG2(g2One);
       writer.writeG2(g2One.mul(frOne.construct(-1)));
       writer.writeG2(g2One.mul(frOne.construct(2)));
@@ -51,14 +54,17 @@ public void testBinaryWriter(
 
     final var is = new ByteArrayInputStream(buffer);
     final var reader = mkReader.apply(is);
+    assertEquals(frOne.zero(), reader.readFr());
     assertEquals(frOne, reader.readFr());
     assertEquals(frOne.construct(-1), reader.readFr());
     assertEquals(frOne.construct(2), reader.readFr());
     assertEquals(frOne.construct(-2), reader.readFr());
+    assertEquals(g1One.zero(), reader.readG1());
     assertEquals(g1One, reader.readG1());
     assertEquals(g1One.mul(frOne.construct(-1)), reader.readG1());
     assertEquals(g1One.mul(frOne.construct(2)), reader.readG1());
     assertEquals(g1One.mul(frOne.construct(-2)), reader.readG1());
+    assertEquals(g2One.zero(), reader.readG2());
     assertEquals(g2One, reader.readG2());
     assertEquals(g2One.mul(frOne.construct(-1)), reader.readG2());
     assertEquals(g2One.mul(frOne.construct(2)), reader.readG2());