The Hanford Site is now immobilizing radioactive waste in glass: a process known as vitrification. PNNL contributed 60 years of materials science expertise—and is providing operational support—to help the nation meet this cleanup milestone.

In a recent study, PNNL researchers found that noncrystalline mineral surfaces can bind microbial residues to build soil organic matter.

PNNL researchers are opening up a new front in the fight to stop viral pathogens, protecting people against multiple viruses.

PNNL researchers continue to deliver high-quality, high-impact research on radioactive waste and nuclear materials management, earning “Papers of Note” and “Superior Paper” awards.

Dušan Veličković, a PNNL mass spectrometry imaging scientist received a $2.1 million grant to develop techniques to understand how changes in carbohydrate structure affect human health.

PNNL researchers showcased subsurface sampling and remediation expertise at the 2025 Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable.

PNNL has created and licensed a system that sniffs out trace levels of fentanyl, other drugs and explosives through the air.

RemPlex and IAEA convene international leaders to tackle recruitment and retention in complex environmental cleanup efforts.

Scientists are developing ways to detect previously unseen forms of fentanyl as well as other synthetic opioids known as nitazenes.

A cross-institutional team of scientists developed PeakQC, a new software tool for automated quality control of mass spectrometry data.

PNNL researchers earned five Papers of Note, 17 Superior Papers, and one poster award for their environmental remediation, radioactive waste, and nuclear energy-related presentations.

Ljiljana Paša-Tolić, a PNNL fellow, is the recipient of the 2024 International Mass Spectrometry Foundation’s Jochen Franzen Award. 

Scientists have developed a way to detect tiny amounts of hard-to-detect explosives more than eight feet away.

Recycling polyolefin materials is challenging. One waste management strategy is plastic upcycling. New work demonstrates a single-step upcycling route coupling cracking and alkylation, recycling carbon and keeping valuable resources active.

PNNL’s patented Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE™) technique is an advanced manufacturing technology that enables better-performing materials and components while offering opportunities to reduce costs and energy consumption.

A team of researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory developed a new and flexible software tool called “Advanced Spectra PCA Toolbox.”

Frederick Day-Lewis, Lab Fellow and chief geophysicist at PNNL, was named the 2024 recipient of the Geological Society of America Public Service Award.

A PNNL Deep Vadose Zone Program publication that shows ferrihydrite helps protect groundwater is featured on the cover of ACS Earth and Space Chemistry.

Data scientist at PNNL receives the Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society and Geonics Limited Early Career Award for work with geophysical modeling and subsurface inversion codes.

Vigorous exercise burns fat more in males than in females, but the benefits of exercise are broad for both sexes.