At PNNL, subsurface science inhabits two separate but interlocking worlds. One looks at basic science, the other at applied science and engineering. Both are funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Existing techniques to detect pertechnetate in the environment have drawbacks. PNNL’s redox sensor technology uses a gold probe to accurately and efficiently measure low levels of pertechnetate—and possibly other contaminants—in groundwater
Researchers adding water to the surface of alumina measured some surprising results that raise important questions regarding the fundamental reactions that govern chemical transformations of aluminum oxides and hydroxides.
Scientists at the Interfacial Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM) sort out which compounds are present and their concentrations, providing an important new tool with broad applicability.
With the help of a diagnostic tool called the Salish Sea Model, researchers found that toxic contaminant hotspots in the Puget Sound are tied to localized lack of water circulation and cumulative effects from multiple sources.
PNNL coastal ecologist Heida Diefenderfer was a featured speaker in February at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable on policy and global affairs.
