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Breadcrumb

  1. Research
  2. Sustainable Energy
  3. Environmental Management

Environmental
Management

Providing technical solutions
for nuclear waste processing
and environmental remediation

The 560-acre Hanford site is a contiguous shrub-steppe ecosystem featuring the longest free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River. The Hanford Reach became the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s first national monument in 2000.

Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Ecology

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The Manhattan Project and subsequent Cold War brought about the most technically complex environmental challenge in the world: the Hanford site.

PNNL has helped to advance the Hanford environmental management mission since the 1960s. Our historical knowledge and continued stewardship of unique scientific and technical expertise are foundational to the cleanup of legacy waste. PNNL’s efforts are in support of the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) mission, through multiple DOE offices and contractors. 

File

PNNL Environmental Management overview

 

 

Legacy waste is one of DOE’s most technologically challenging programs. Cleanup efforts cover over a million acres across 16 sites in 11 states and include 1.7 trillion gallons of contaminated groundwater, 90 million gallons of radioactive waste safely stored in 230 tanks, and an estimated 40 million cubic meters of contaminated soil and debris.

The laboratory helped develop the waste treatment processes at Hanford, Savannah River, and West Valley, and provided the technical foundations for remediation across the DOE-EM complex to protect human and environmental health.

PNNL is called on to solve these complex environmental challenges via scientific expertise, technical defensibility, systems integration (which supports tank waste processing), environmental remediation, and site stewardship. Our expertise in key areas–tank waste chemistry, fluid dynamics and scaling, waste forms, nature and extent of contamination, remedial systems engineering, safety bases, and decision support–provides a critical foundation that advances the DOE-EM mission.

 

Featured Research

AUGUST 3, 2022
Spotlight

Eight Graduate Students Join PNNL’s Prestigious DOE Program

Read
SCGSR Hero Image July 2022
JULY 28, 2022
Research Highlight

Ion Specific Effects Drive Boehmite Aggregation

Read
Illustration showing blue boehmite particles aggregating, with a "zoomed in" view showing ion interactions
JULY 19, 2022
Spotlight

Agile Waste Cleanup

Read
plateau
SEE MORE RELATED HIGHLIGHTS

Recent News

JULY 28, 2022
Staff Accomplishment

PNNL Papers Receive Recognition from Waste Management Symposia

Read
WM Symposia 2022
MAY 24, 2022
Staff Accomplishment

Pearce Named Honorary Professor with the University of Manchester

Read
Carolyn Pearce was named the IDREAM EFRC Director in March 2021
MAY 17, 2022
Staff Accomplishment

One Thousand Dives for Sue Southard: Waves of Scientific Insight for Humankind

Read
Sue Southard
SEE MORE RELATED NEWS

Facilities

Radiochemical Processing Laboratory Wasteform Development Laboratory Applied Subsurface Science and Characterization Laboratory Computational and Applied Geophysical and Geomechanics Laboratory 318 Building Materials Science and Technology Building Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Related Divisions

Nuclear Sciences Division
Earth Systems Science Division
Coastal Sciences Division

Related Links

PNNL Annual Site Environmental ReportWhat is Environmental Justice?Publications and ReportsPNNL's Environmental PolicyCareers at PNNL

Brochures

File

PNNL Environmental Management overview

File

PNNL Tank Waste Processing

File

PNNL Environmental Remediation

Contacts

Tom Brouns
Manager, Environmental Management Sector; Director, RemPlex
tom.brouns@pnnl.gov
509-372-6265
David Peeler
Deputy Sector Manager, Environmental Management
david.peeler@pnnl.gov
509-372-6225

PNNL's Operational Commitment to Sustainability 

Continual Improvement

At PNNL, "operational excellence" means working passionately with our team every day to achieve success; learning from our experiences; doing our best to deliver products and services while maintaining our commitment to safety, health, and environmental stewardship; and giving our customers and the nation the greatest value for their investments. Learn more at the PNNL Operational Excellence website.

 

PNNL Operational Excellence

 

Environmental elements of the policy are further articulated under the Sustainability M&O Program. The Site Sustainability Plan contains the environmental goals, action plans, and progress toward achieving the goals. Additional Laboratory-wide sustainability performance and accomplishments are provided in the PNNL annual Site Sustainability Report. Learn more at the PNNL Sustainability website.

Sustainable Diagram

Read PNNL's environmental policy.

 

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