Removing cesium: solutions to a chemically complex problem
Fifty-six million gallons. That is the amount of radioactive tank waste left behind at the Hanford Site as a result of the secret government mission to provide the plutonium for the world’s first atomic weapons and the Cold War that followed. Today, the Hanford Site is known as one of the world’s most technically complex environmental challenges. Chemical Engineer Reid Peterson has spent nearly three decades working on tank waste issues for Department of Energy Office of Environment Management sites. Among his many contributions to the challenge of cleaning up such chemically complex radioactive waste, one effort stands above others: capturing cesium-137. Read More.
pnnl joins gender champions in nuclear policy
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has joined Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy, a leadership network that brings together leaders of organizations working in nuclear policy who are committed to breaking down gender barriers and making gender equity a working reality in their spheres of influence. “I am honored to represent PNNL as a Gender Champion in Nuclear Policy,” said Director Steve Ashby. Read More.
u.s. nuclear regulatory commission chair visits pnnl
A longtime partnership supporting the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) with regulating the nation’s fleet of nuclear reactors and safely deploying the next generation of advanced reactors was recognized during a visit by NRC Chair Christopher Hanson to PNNL. Read More.
Predicting nanoparticle assembly across scales
What do legacy tank waste, large-scale mining operations, and some sunscreens have in common? They all either produce or contain nanoparticles. In solution, such as in legacy tank waste, nanoparticles move, collide, and interact. This leads to the formation of larger, more complex structures known as assemblies or aggregates. Because nanoparticles behave in complicated ways, the final nature of the aggregates and assemblies has been extremely challenging to predict—until now. Research from the Interfacial Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM) Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) has developed a comprehensive and predictive picture of boehmite nanomaterials. Read More.
PNNL PRESENCE AT EVENTS AND CONFERENCES
PNNL researchers attended AIChE, the American Nuclear Society Conference, and the Materials Research Society Fall Meeting. Read more about the events in the following links:
World Nuclear Energy Day was celebrated on December 2, 2023. Nuclear energy protects air quality by producing massive amounts of carbon-free electricity. The federal government estimates use of carbon-free nuclear energy in America avoids some 650 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. Nuclear energy also contributes to many non-electric applications, ranging from the medical field to space exploration. Learn more about nuclear energy expertise at PNNL and/or read the story “Sustaining U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Could be Key to Decarbonization.”
PNNL's multidisciplinary expertise in nuclear science provides solutions to some of the world’s most complex environmental, radiological, and national security challenges. Nuclear@PNNL gives readers a firsthand look at PNNL's focus on nuclear materials behavior, chemistry, forensics, and processing to advance nuclear energy, resolve legacy waste, and support national security. Each issue highlights the expertise of our researchers, their contributions to the nuclear mission space, and our state-of-the-art research facilities where discoveries and advancements are made.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in sustainable energy and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the PNNL's News Center. Follow us onTwitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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