pacific northwest national laboratory

Delivering hydrogen everywhere by blending it into natural gas pipelines
A way to dramatically cut methane pollution from millions of engines
A research team at PNNL has proposed a safe pathway to store and release clean energy based on the chemistry of baking soda. (Composite image by Shannon Colson | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Is baking soda a feasible green alternative for storing and transporting energy from hydrogen?
Capturing intermittent renewable energy from solar arrays and wind turbines is the goal of a new energy storage technology that uses the Earth-abundant materials sodium and aluminum. (Image by Sara Levine | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Low-cost earth-abundant raw materials power a new grid energy storage solution
Taking up only as much space as a walk-in closet, a new carbon capture and conversion system is simple and efficient at removing carbon dioxide from gas that's rich with carbon dioxide. On the left of this walk-in fume hood, "smoke" moves through a cylindrical container where it makes contact with a carbon-capturing solvent. That solvent chemically binds to carbon dioxide and, on the right, is converted to methanol. (Photo by Eric Francavilla | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Carbon capture gets cheaper: Least costly carbon capture system to date
A new nanogenerator could make ocean sensors and communications platforms self-powered
Seeding the oceans with nano-scale fertilizers could create a much-needed, substantial carbon sink. (Illustration by Stephanie King | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Iron-based fertilizer, engineered into nanoparticles, could help store excess carbon dioxide in the ocean
In front of the sewage sludge biogas reactor in Walla Walla.
Converting sewage to biogas can produce electricity or be upgraded to renewable natural gas
High-tech bubbles can detect Covid-causing virus in the air to send an immediate alert
Mineralizing carbon dioxide underground is a potential carbon storage method. (Illustration by Cortland Johnson | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Turning carbon dioxide into solid minerals
Researchers can isolate magnesium feedstocks from the ocean, important for renewable energy applications. (Composite image by Cortland Johnson | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Extracting magnesium from seawater with a new process skips energy-intensive and expensive purification steps
In adsorption cooling systems, molecules of vapor refrigerant (the guest) are adsorbed in the nanopores of a solid material (the host). Motkuri and his collaborators have studied how changing the geometry of the nanopores (pore engineering) and the speed of host-guest chemical interactions affect the cooling capacity and energy efficiency of adsorption cooling systems. (Image by Rose Perry | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Adsorption cooling: The greening of air conditioning
This vial of clear, sodium-ion electrolyte provides the circulating “blood” that keeps the energy flowing through an experimental battery technology. (Photo by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Longer lasting sodium-ion batteries clear another major hurdle
(Image by Shannon Colson | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Conductive aluminum that is lighter, cheaper, and more abundant than copper
Woody lignin, seen here in purified form, holds significant promise as a renewable biofuel, if it can be efficiently broken down into useful form. (Photo by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
A lignin digesting enzyme offers tremendous potential for renewable energy and materials