R&D 100 Awards Honor Two Berkeley Lab Innovations
One innovative technology from the Energy Technologies Area (ETA) is among two at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) that have been honored with a 2024 R&D 100 Award. The award, presented by R&D Magazine and selected by an independent panel of judges, recognizes the year’s 100 most innovative and disruptive technology products from industry, academia, and government-sponsored research.
Berkeley Lab’s winning technologies improve wastewater treatment and develop software for autonomous labs of the future. The winning teams will be celebrated at the R&D 100 gala banquet in Palm Desert, California, on November 21.
Below are descriptions of the ETA winners:
A New Electrode Material for Cleaner Water
Selenium pollution that is found in bodies of water around the world can be harmful to humans, animals, and aquatic systems. Current methods of biological treatment for wastewater that contains selenium are expensive, sensitive to water co-contaminants, and can produce unwanted byproducts. Berkeley Lab scientists have developed an electrode material made with iron and nickel that can effectively remove selenium through the process of direct electrochemical reduction. The material performs better than the traditional electrodes used in the process and is cheaper, making it a promising alternative for safe, sustainable water treatment.
The development team is led by Wei Tong and Shengcun Ma.
R&D 100 Professional Awards Winners
In addition to recognizing the year’s 100 most innovative and disruptive technologies, R&D Magazine awarded R&D 100 Professional Awards. These awards honor exceptional leaders and teams for their achievements. One Berkeley Lab expert from the Energy Technologies Area has been awarded with this honor this year.
Howdy Goudey Receives Technician of the Year Award
Howdy Goudey, a senior scientific engineering associate at Berkeley Lab, was recognized for his vast technical expertise and inventiveness that has enabled leading-edge research and development in efficient building technologies, as well as his engagement with his community.
He supports an extensive array of testing facilities, engineers, and scientists within the Building Technologies and Urban Systems Division. His abilities to envision and fabricate test equipment, design and execute experiments, guide researchers, and mentor junior staff have allowed him to play a significant role in many high profile projects including an infant warmer, national energy performance ratings for window attachments, vacuum-insulated window glazing, and gas-filled panels for high-performance thermal insulation. In addition, Goudey serves as the electrical safety officer for the Energy Technologies Area, and beyond his lab responsibilities, he is a mentor and prolific volunteer within his community.
Five other Berkeley Lab innovations were also selected as finalists for the R&D 100 Awards.
For information about licensing the above technologies, contact ipo@lbl.gov.