Battelle Sustainability Research and Technological Innovations Bolster Climate Resilience

Technology’s impact on the health of our planet is a double-edged sword. Revolutionary technological advancements can help us decrease our energy consumption, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and help remove pollution from our air—but they also can deplete precious resources, produce emissions and generate harmful waste.
As we advance with new technology, responsible resource use is key for future generations. This can mean conserving natural resources like fresh water and clean air and protecting them from human impacts. Or it can mean reusing resources that have already been manufactured – particularly those that can be gathered, processed and reused sustainably within our borders. When we acknowledge and address the potential effects new technologies and materials have on our natural environment beyond their carbon footprint, we can balance progress with preservation and reap the full benefits of innovation.
Making Rare Earth Element Extraction More Sustainable
Rare earth elements are essential to manufacturing magnets, electronics, electric motors, fiber optics and many other core technologies we depend on every day. The U.S. military also uses a wide array of rare earth elements in lasers, precision guided weapons, jet engines and a plethora of other crucial devices. In the U.S. we have adequate amounts of rare earth elements, but we rely on other countries to separate and purify them because the process of doing so comes with significant health concerns and does not comply with our nation’s stringent environmental regulations. To reduce our supply chain vulnerability and enable the U.S. to separate, purify and convert rare elements domestically, Battelle is currently helping the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) develop more environmentally friendly methods of extraction.
Eradicating Harmful ‘Forever Chemicals’
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that are resistant to water, grease and heat and they have been used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, firefighting foams, medical devices and a wide array of other consumer products since the 1950s. Due to their strong chemical bond, PFAS don’t break down in the environment or the human body and are subsequently found in our water, soil and air and are extremely challenging to eradicate. Scientific studies have found that exposure to some PFAS can cause damage to the liver and immune system and may be linked to certain cancers, making them one of our nation’s biggest pollution problems.
There is an urgent need for sustainable alternatives to PFAS, as well as remediation strategies that can effectively remove these harmful chemicals from our environment. The Battelle-invented PFAS Annihilator® mobile technology is powered by supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) and uses high temperature and pressure to effectively destroy PFAS in contaminated wastewater, landfill leachate and Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) to non-detectable levels in seconds. Revive Environmental, a full-service environmental contaminant mitigation and water treatment company co-founded by Battelle and Viking Global Investors is currently deploying the PFAS Annihilator® in states across the U.S. to safely destroy PFAS-laced fire foam. In parallel, Battelle also provides analysis services for businesses and governments to detect and track PFAS across its many vectors of use in daily life.
Conscientious Innovation
Technological advancements fuel progress but they can both harm and heal our planet as well. We have a responsibility to keep innovation on a trajectory that takes the future into account. This is why Battelle is focused on developing sustainable solutions that tackle the effects of climate change without creating new environmental risks. If we develop and implement new technologies and groundbreaking capabilities thoughtfully and purposefully, we can keep our planet and its precious resources in good shape for all the future generations to come.
Learn more about how Battelle is supporting climate resilience and learn more about Battelle’s Innovations in Climate Resilience conference, the fourth iteration of which is set for April 21-23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. The ICR25 will showcase climate innovations and bring together like-minded professionals from government, private industry and academia who are shaping the future of the planet.
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