Energy science news from Oak Ridge National Lab. @ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Joined March 2015
👏 Congratulations to ORNL's Lauren Heinrich on being named to SME's 2026 “30 Under 30” class for her contributions to manufacturing. Heinrich conducts research in hybrid manufacturing and contributed to the award-winning Future Foundries platform. bit.ly/4sgfYrE
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Mominur Rahman is featured in an issue of the Journal of Materials Chemistry that honors emerging investigators. The issue highlights research being conducted by early-career scientists whose contributions may influence the future of materials chemistry. bit.ly/4zMPbG1.
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Intelligent robotics can help U.S. manufacturers do more with the workforce they have. @ORNL develops flexible automation to reduce downtime, speed changeovers and strengthen domestic supply chains. bit.ly/4AQVXvH
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ESTD's Jayanthi Kumar is helping improve how lithium is selectively extracted and separated from complex brines. That expertise helped Element3 scale ORNL technology from the laboratory to its first commercial lithium extraction plant in Texas. bit.ly/3VyI84T
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🎧 A new 3DPOD episode is now available featuring @ORNL's Alex Plotkowski! Discover how data, modeling and SI are helping researchers work toward part-specific predictions for 3D-printed components. 🔗 bit.ly/4ylBCMB
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Researchers at DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at @ORNL developed a mobile additive manufacturing platform that can reposition itself and continue printing accurately.
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ESTD's Jayanthi Kumar is helping improve how lithium is selectively extracted and separated from complex brines. That expertise helped Element3 scale ORNL technology from the laboratory to its first commercial lithium extraction plant in Texas. bit.ly/3VyI84T
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Intelligent robotics can help U.S. manufacturers do more with the workforce they have. @ORNL develops flexible automation to reduce downtime, speed changeovers and strengthen domestic supply chains. bit.ly/4AQVXvH
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#MFGDay26 — Additive manufacturing’s next chapter may have roots in welding’s past. @ORNL researchers Adam Stevens and Vanshika Singh explore that history and what it could mean for AM’s future in a new cover article: static.asminternational.org/…
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What will it take to scale powder metallurgy-hot isostatic pressing for the next generation of energy systems? More than 200 experts gathered at DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility to identify the opportunities and challenges ahead. #MFGDay26 bit.ly/3V93x4r
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👏 Congratulations to @ORNL's Josh Pihl and Derek Splitter on being named SAE International Fellows, an honor recognizing outstanding and sustained accomplishments in mobility and related engineering. Learn more: ornl.gov/organization-news/p…
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An R&D 100 Award-winning ORNL technology makes nuclear fuel programmable. Precisely placing TRISO particles could nearly double fuel in the same space, enabling smaller cores and 40%+ more energy from the same amount of fuel.
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Phosphate industry byproducts could become a new U.S. source of rare earth elements. @ORNL and @FLPolyU’s FIPR Institute developed PASTREE, a 2026 R&D 100 Award-winning process that streamlines recovery and reduces costs. @DOECMEI
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Registration is open for the 2026 PM-HIP Workshop, Nov. 4-5 at @ORNL. Join experts from industry, academia, national laboratories and government to explore advances across the powder metallurgy hot isostatic pressing supply chain. Register by Oct. 26: events.ornl.gov/pmhip26/
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Turning wood-industry waste into aviation fuel earned a 2026 R&D 100 Award. @ORNL researchers developed a catalytic process that converts waste terpenes into components for a 100% sustainable aviation fuel blend, supported by @DOECMEI
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BESSD researchers Andy Zhao, Oluwafemi Oyedeji, Kai Li and Erin Webb earned a 2026 R&D 100 Award for developing a low-cost, high-performance composite out of wastewater algae and agricultural residues. Congratulations, team!🏆
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A nearly 2-ton, 6-foot-tall steel tool, created by researchers at the Department of Energy’s @ORNL and @Boeing using wire-arc additive manufacturing, will contribute to @NASA’s Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing project. bit.ly/46AABVy
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A tool used to control video game characters can also coordinate manufacturing tasks. At DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL, behavior trees orchestrated a “scan-and-plan” 3D-printing repair routine, helping automate toolpath planning and execution.
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From long lead times to qualification hurdles, manufacturing challenges took center stage @ORNL’s #M2IND event. More than 350 leaders explored supply chains, critical materials, AI and paths to production. 🔗 ornl.gov/news/manufacturing-…
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A dishwasher developed by @ORNL & Samsung earned a 2026 R&D 100 Award. The system recovers heat from wastewater, reusing it during operation. This provides more heating capacity while consuming less energy and improving drying performance. bit.ly/4gxRPZr
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