Amine functionalized graphene oxide yields laminates with an enhanced capacity to adsorb rare earth elements, improved water transport, and greater stability for effective membrane-based separation of critical minerals.

Award-winning research advances AI applications for environmental cleanup.

The new Washington State Academy of Sciences electees from PNNL represent expertise in nuclear forensics, soil sciences, electricity infrastructure, and more.

PNNL researchers are studying ways to use seawater and seawater-generated chemicals to acquire magnesium, lithium, and other critical materials.

Critical minerals could be sourced from industrial waste at scale thanks to an AI-guided separation workflow developed by researchers at PNNL.

PNNL chemist Sarah Saslow received the ACS Rising Star Award for her research supporting environmental cleanup, including work on legacy waste and subsurface contamination.

PNNL has developed a next-generation electrical resistivity tomography system for DOE that uses E4D software and AI-enhanced modeling to produce real-time subsurface images that help guide environmental remediation decisions.

Replacing commercial acid with acidic waste enables researchers to improve nickel extraction efficiency, lower projected costs, and improve process economics.

Autonomous science laboratories are taking shape quickly across the PNNL campus.

PNNL’s Center for the Remediation of Complex Sites inducted leaders Director David Peeler, Deputy Director Carolyn Pearce, Operations Director Christian Johnson, and advisors with multidisciplinary subsurface research expertise.

RemPlex 2025 Global Summit on Environmental Remediation attendees share knowledge about cleanup and monitoring of complex sites worldwide; more than 100 presentations are posted online.

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.

Localized gradients in magnetic fields have long-range effects on the concentration of rare earth ions in solution, facilitating field-driven extraction of critical minerals.

Studying a series of rare earth element compounds revealed differences in their magnetic behavior that will be leveraged for separations.

Soil mineral preferentially incorporates rare earth elements based on size, with implications for critical mineral extraction.

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.

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

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

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.

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