Linking environmental issues leads to expanded views
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Dr. Marburger sets out a formidable challenge--one that requires fundamental change in the purpose and scope of environmental science. Cleanup isn't enough; we must take a far more proactive view of environmental issues, one that considers the intricate network of ramifications that decisions, missions and activities have on each other and the environment.
At PNNL that means driving science to solve complex environmental issues for government and industry. We lead the environmental industry by focusing on prevention and prediction to help clients avoid problems before they occur. Our research capabilities and strategic partnerships with leading industries and universities make this possible.
We are moving forward in three areas: environmental security, environmental sustainability and environmental sentinels. Our research and technology in environmental security helps nations prevent or recover from attacks that affect the environment. For example, the Coastal Security Institute at the PNNL Marine Sciences Laboratory is developing a concept for sensor networks that will constantly monitor ocean conditions and exchange information on minute changes in the chemical, biological or radiological content of the water. These sensors will cover wider areas than current sensing methods and provide near real-time feedback.
Our research in environmental sustainability is creating the scientific underpinnings for reducing the environmental impacts of energy conversion and economic development. Activities range from legacy waste cleanup to developing catalytic processes for converting biomass to energy and value-added chemicals, and microchemical reaction technology for highly efficient energy conversion.
We are creating process technologies for capturing carbon dioxide and preventing this greenhouse gas from entering the environment during fossil-fuel energy production. Our researchers also have developed a water treatment system that can remove mercury from low-volume waste streams, and they are working on an engineered version for high-volume streams.
The third focus area, environmental sentinels, is the enabling science that will allow us to understand the impacts of human activity on complex environmental systems and to develop solutions to these impacts from the cellular to ecosystem levels. We are developing and applying tools that provide information on the nature and distribution of pollutants and their effects on the health of organisms in those environments.
We also are helping the Environmental Protection Agency determine limits for the 80,000-plus endocrine-disrupting chemicals that enter the environment through human, agricultural or industrial use. In another project, researchers are exploring new ways to determine microenvironment health using DNA microarrays. (See A Genetic Sleight-of-Wing.)
We're excited about applying scientific advances from other research areas of PNNL, such as genetics and proteomics, to the development of science-based environmental solutions. Researchers already are investigating ways to use genetics, proteomics and other fundamental scientific research in microtechnology, biobased products and processing, advanced sensors, marine biotechnology and chemical toxicology.
Complex environmental issues often call for multi-partner collaborations. We are working with the world's foremost agricultural processors to develop high value chemicals from crop residues. Our collaborations with Washington State University on bioproducts and with Oregon State University on microtechnology are bringing education, research and industry partners together to solve fundamental issues in biobased product development and non-polluting energy.