Research Highlights Archive
Research is our business. With an unwavering focus on our missions, scientists and engineers at PNNL deliver science and technology. We conduct basic research that advances the frontiers of science. We translate discoveries into tools and technologies in science, energy, the environment and national security.
For more than four decades, our experts have teamed with government, industry and academia to tackle some of the toughest problems facing our nation. The result: We’re delivering the science, technology and leadership our customers need to succeed.
To view previously featured research and scientist’s achievements, click on a month.
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January
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Cutting Air Pollution Got Boost from Weather
New research suggests that China's impressive feat of cutting Beijing's pollution up to 50 percent for the 2008 Summer Olympics had some help from Mother Nature. Rain just at the beginning and wind during the Olympics likely contributed about half of the effort needed to clean up the skies, scientists found. The results also suggest emission controls need to be more widely implemented than in 2008 if pollution levels are to be reduced permanently. [ Full Story ]
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Squeezing the Most out of U.S. Natural Gas Reserves
Researchers discovered a method that could dramatically cut the amount of heat needed during the processing of natural gas by at least 10 percent. Currently, natural gas extracted from the nation's coal beds and methane-rich geologic features must first be purged of hydrogen sulfide before it can be used as fuel. [ Full Story ]
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Translating Data into Decisions
A new tool developed by PNNL helps grid operators respond to complex outage predictions more effectively and even predict potential network failures. [ Full Story ]
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MARS on the Move
PNNL adapted the Multi-Sensor Airborne Radiation System (MARS) for first-time deployment on a helicopter. The technology, developed for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, could be used for detecting radiation at distances of up to ten meters. [ Full Story ]
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Cloud Droplets Ready for Primetime
Scientists were looking for promising atmospheric particles that turn into cloud droplets and then plotting their origins. Separating the formed droplets from the inactive particles, they uncovered the chemical structure of those that formed droplets. Results will help solve some of the mystery of clouds and their effects on floods and droughts. [ Full Story ]
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Fingerprinting Uranium
It may become easier to determine if uranium zips through the soil or not. Researchers from PNNL and the University of Texas used x-rays to identify mobile, stationary forms of atomic pollutant. Using this method allows scientists to more accurately predict the atomic pollutant's behavior. [ Full Story ]
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