This article appeared first at newscenter.lbl.gov The Salton Sea geothermal field in California potentially holds enough lithium to meet all of America’s domestic battery needs, with even enough left over to export some of it. But how much of that lithium can be extracted in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way? And how long will the…
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When it comes to nuclear power, the uranium at the heart of fuel rods is also this power source’s Achilles’ heel. When power plants shut down or the fuel rods in nuclear reactors become inefficient, the high-level nuclear waste resulting from the spent fuel created from running these plants could stay radioactive for thousands of years.…
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This news release appeared first at newscenter.lbl.gov If you had a jar of marbles of many different colors but wanted only the green ones, how could you efficiently pick them out? What if it wasn’t marbles but a jar of glitter, and there was sand, glue, and mud mixed in? That begins to describe the…
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This article appeared initially at newscenter.lbl.gov Oil and gas fields in Elk Hills, California are part of Berkeley Lab’s SUMMATION project on methane monitoring. (Credit: Andrew Moyes/Berkeley Lab) Sébastien Biraud is a Berkeley Lab scientist leading an effort to identify and mitigate some of the largest emitters of methane in California’s Southern San Joaquin Valley.…
Read More Around the world in the many nations where nuclear power is used, isolating nuclear waste deep underground is deemed as the viable permanent solution. Geological repository for high-level nuclear waste, the type of nuclear waste created by the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, is usually a multi-barriers system that includes waste packages, engineered barrier system…
Read MoreThe Berkeley Lab Geothermal Systems Program has been recommended for funding for two projects under a recent announcement by the DOE Geothermal Technology Office of a total of $12M in funding for seven research projects to advance the commercialization of enhanced geothermal systems. The first is led by EESA staff scientist Seiji Nakagawa, with collaborators from…
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EESA Research Scientist Erica Woodburn has initiated a new effort to investigate the impact of the Caldor Fire on the Cosumnes River Basin. The team, which involves EESA research scientist Michelle Newcomer and faculty scientist Jackie Peña, has already begun working to measure water quality and ash/sediment in collaboration with a local citizen science field…
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George Moridis, a senior scientist in the Energy Geosciences Division, has been awarded an Honorary Membership in the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in recognition of outstanding scientific achievements. Moridis was presented the award at a ceremony during SPE’s Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Dubai September 21-23. Moridis is being recognized for his…
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For the American West, this summer served up reminder after stark reminder of the urgent need to address the country’s water security. The drying up of the Southwest’s most important river–the Colorado River which is the source of water for one in 10 Americans–is more than enough to sound the alarm. But far worse: As…
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Research scientist Haruko Wainwright is being celebrated for her role in helping Berkeley Lab provide exceptional mentorship of the next generation of STEM professionals. Wainwright is one of six scientists being recognized this summer for their unique contributions as mentors through the various internships offered by Berkeley Lab: Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI), the…
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