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.

Pioneering autonomous science facility puts a big focus on tiny microbes and AI-driven science.

Predicting how organisms’ characteristics respond to not only their genes, but also their environments (a nascent field called predictive phenomics), is extraordinarily challenging. Researchers at PNNL are using AI to tackle that challenge.

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.

Understanding molecular modifications of proteins in the red yeast could help scientists re-engineer the organism’s phenotype.

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.

PNNL chemical engineer Mariefel Olarte shares passion for mentoring students and the next-generation workforce.

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

Francesca Pierobon holds a joint appointment with UW and WSU to advance low-carbon technologies.

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.

At a one-day summit on PNNL’s Richland campus, scientists and engineers gather to hear from leaders and learn to lead others.

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.

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.

Americans produce enough waste every year to replace up to a quarter of the country’s jet fuel with sustainable alternatives, new research shows.

The Deep Vadose Zone program leads a treatability study for subsurface remediation of the Hanford Site’s Central Plateau.