From developing new energy storage materials to revealing patterns of Earth’s complex systems, studies led by PNNL researchers are recognized for their innovation and influence.

David Heldebrant was selected for the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the American Chemical Society Division of Energy & Fuels, recognizing his impact to energy and fuels chemistry.

PNNL researchers have found yet another way to turn trash into treasure: using algal biochar, a waste production from hydrothermal liquefaction, as a supplementary material for cement.

The ability of a storm-resolving weather model to predict the growth of storms over central Argentina was evaluated with data from the Clouds, Aerosols, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) field campaign in central Argentina.

Researchers have developed the first coastal transport model for microplastics to understand how particles move in waterways and coastal currents.

Researchers from PNNL and Parallel Works, Inc., applied machine learning methods to predict how much oxygen and nutrients are used by microorganisms in river sediments.

Lakes are important sentinels of climate change and contribute significantly to the emissions of the second most important greenhouse gas—methane.

The rate of conversion of cloud droplets to precipitation, known as the autoconversion rate, remains a major source of uncertainty in characterizing aerosol’s cloud lifetime effects and precipitation in global and regional models.

To assess the impact of observation period and gauge location, model parameters were learned on scenarios using different chunks of streamflow observations.

This study presents an automated method to detect and classify open- and closed-cell mesoscale cellular convection (MCC) using long-term ground-based radar observations.

Algae can collect and concentrate rare earth metals from seawater—an alternative to imported sources mined from the ground.

Across the United States, organic carbon concentration imposes a primary control on river sediment respiration, with additional influences from organic matter chemistry.

Newly developed models can help rapidly optimize systems to meet the need for rapidly deployable commercial carbon capture.

PNNL scientists carve a path to profit from carbon capture by creating a system that efficiently captures CO2 and converts it into one of the world’s most widely used chemicals: methanol.

A new perspective article discusses how integrating carbon dioxide capture and conversion in solvents can lead to cheaper and more efficient carbon management systems.

A comprehensive literature review linking algae and antivirals determines compounds in algae may demonstrate an exceptional—and as yet untapped—potential to combat viral diseases at every point along the viral infection pathway.

PNNL researchers can make methane from captured CO2 and renewably sourced hydrogen, offering a path toward cheaper synthetic natural gas.

PNNL’s newest solvent captures carbon dioxide from power plants for as little as $47.10 per metric ton, marking a significant milestone in the journey to lower the cost of carbon capture.

Thanksgiving is a time for us to reflect on our many blessings, and being a part of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is one for which I am especially grateful.