News By Location

The transportation industry faces several challenges relating to vehicle fuel efficiency, regulated emissions and global warming. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Jud Virden talks about technologies being developed for transportation and how they fit into the nation's priorities relating to petroleum imports, global climate change, and environmental and health effects of emissions. Virden oversees the Laboratory's involvement in the U.S. Department of Energy's FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies program and other vehicle technology research.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's unique approach to computational modeling with solid oxide fuel cells combines computational chemistry codes, computational fluid dynamics and computational mechanics. It allows PNNL researchers to study not only the electrochemical reactions in fuel cells, but also how the electrochemical reactions interact with fuel cell design.

A device that identifies contents in sealed containers and a system that can diagnose engine problems while the equipment is operating are among several innovative technologies developed for national security applications and moved into the marketplace by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. PNNL conducts scientific research in energy, the environment, national security, information technology and health, making an effort to commercialize technologies so they can help solve critical problems for industry and society.

Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are working to transform low-value biomass such as corn fiber, mill feed and livestock waste into specialty chemicals, or high value bioproducts, such as plastics, fibers, adhesives and solvents. These bioproducts often can be made less expensively than the same products made from petroleum using processes that are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

The Radiochemical Processing Laboratory (RPL) fulfilled a commitment that Pacific Northwest National Laboratory made to the U.S. Department of Energy to provide a place to conduct the radioactive component of research at EMSL, a national scientific user facility and research organization. Both are world-class laboratories for their type, and anchors to PNNL's work in researching, developing and deploying solutions to our country's critical environmental problems.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is conducting fundamental scientific research that could help vehicles meet the EPA's aggressive emissions requirements.

Scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have successfully immobilized enzymes while simultaneously enhancing their activity and stability, opening up new possibilities for using tailored nanoporous materials. The findings, reported in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (available online Aug. 28), could enable the development of novel sensor and decontamination systems for homeland security, environmental protection and energy generation as well as new industrial chemicals and separations.

A faster, more thorough mass spectrometry method for identifying proteins may significantly advance the technology infrastructure required to comprehend the role proteins play in cellular function and disease development. The systems already is providing new insights into how microorganisms gobble carbon out of the atmosphere and the role proteins play in a virus known to cause blindness. PNNL researchers have begun using PROMS to characterize the proteomes of three microorganism as well as cytomegalovirus.

A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed new instrumentation and a unique approach to obtain the most complete protein analysis of any organism to date. Results were published in the August 20, 2002, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In this special issue dedicated to homeland security-related technologies and training, we are highlighting just a few projects that fall within PNNL's approximately $220 million national security portfolio.