Case Studies

Learn how Battelle enabled the safe capture of 2+ million metric tons of CO2.

The University of Alaska and Battelle received an NSF award to bring together research and local people’s needs and determine what information/observations are needed to secure sustainable food supplies in near-coastal Arctic ecosystems.

Battelle worked with the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to develop a stand-alone tool called SiteWise™ to evaluate and quantify the environmental, health, safety and economic impact of a variety of restoration alternatives. SiteWise™ expands on existing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) concepts to conduct GSR assessments specifically tailored to site restoration and remediation.

Battelle's combined metagenomic and metaproteomic analytical approaches demonstrated how microorganisms respond to changes in the environment such as exposure to crude oil. The microbial response to crude oil was investigated using genetic sequence profiling (metagenomics) and functional protein profiling (metaproteomic) to observe perturbations in microbial biodiversity and functional protein content.

Environmental chemicals that may disrupt the hormonal or endocrine systems of humans as well as wildlife and other animals have been a concern since at least the 1960s. Many of the endocrine screening assays and other tests in use today are based on or supported by research that was led by Battelle.

Battelle sought to assess the potential of utility end users to access and apply NASA EOs for energy management applications, including resilience planning and renewable resource assessment, and address key barriers preventing the uptake of NASA data.

Integration and harmonization of NEON data products with NASA's SMAP's GV Program will help us to understand and predict how our planet functions and evolves, and allow us to pursue new ways of living, doing business, growing our economies, providing food security, and escaping poverty.

NEON Science Team staff have developed a tutorial to walk data users through the process of how to find quality flag data, how to interpret the results of the many quality tests that NEON data are subjected to, how to determine if the quality flagged data are suitable for their research objectives, and how to filter out unwanted data from their research.

As part of its mission to establish a sustainable energy mix for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE) conducted the Renewable Resource Monitoring and Mapping (RRMM) Program. Battelle supported the RRMM Program and established a field monitoring network for solar resources, airborne dust and meteorological conditions, and building the capacity of host government staff to sustainably operate the network and share the data publicly.

Managing contaminated sediments requires accurate measurement of contaminant levels over time to evaluate risks to aquatic organisms and to monitor cleanup efforts. Passive sampling offers an alternative that allows easier and more accurate measurement of the dissolved contaminants, provides lower detection limits, and eliminates the cost of transporting large and heavy samples back to the lab.

Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) encompass a broad group of chemicals including flame retardants, plasticizers and stain-resistant fabric treatments, which are added to various consumer products. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking to better understand whether exposure to SVOCs from fabrics and other articles of commerce could impact human health.

The Battelle team decided that the best and swiftest course of action was to develop a minimum work program to gain access to a complete European regulatory data package. A detailed gap analysis, along with a letter of access to vertebrate studies, supported the new product registrations in the European marketplace.

NASA formed a collaboration with Battelle to add the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) field sites to its SMAP Soil Moisture validation network.

Battelle conducted a baseline (pre-dredge) sediment characterization in 2006 and follow-up monitoring surveys during dredging, immediately after dredging, and for five years after remediation. Researchers examined multiple lines of evidence to monitor recovery and track the fate and transport of contaminants through the environment.

Battelle conducted a special purpose monitoring study to characterize and document air quality while surface mine blasting operations were being conducted nearby. Various sampling and analysis methods were deployed to determine gaseous air pollutant concentrations and the mass, particle size distribution, and chemical composition of airborne particulate matter.

Regenerating spent GAC used to be costly and energy-intensive. Our experts set out to change that.

The primary purpose of the Agricultural Health Study is to assess the health effects of occupational exposures, particularly to pesticides, on farmers and their families. The study also examines other environmental, occupational, dietary, medical, lifestyle and genetic factors in relation to health in this population.

Using the new lab data, Battelle was able to refine the assumptions used in the Borstal computer model to provide a more realistic risk assessment of potential leaching. The refined modelling can be used to make better decisions about application recommendations, and provide critical data necessary to maintain product registration or move into new market areas.

NEON data, which have been shared with the U.S. Forest Service, may help in the development of fuel models that could be used to determine the percentage of total available biomass actually consumed by Western American Wildfires. By improving the estimates of total biomass that researchers can get from remote sensing data, that data can be used to build models that give us better predictions of wildfire spread and emissions. This will also help us predict how changes in biomass resulting from climate change may influence fire activity in the future.

NEON Science Team staff have developed a tutorial to walk data users through the process of how to find quality flag data, how to interpret the results of the many quality tests that NEON data are subjected to, how to determine if the quality flagged data are suitable for their research objectives, and how to filter out unwanted data from their research.