Breunig on Turning Waste Into Fuel

Hanna Breunig has always forged her own path in science. “If something feels right, I don’t hesitate to pursue an idea that could make the world a better place,” says Breunig, a senior scientific engineering associate in the Energy Technologies Area.

Now with funding from an Early Career Laboratory Directed Research and Development award announced last November, she’s looking for affordable ways to clean and store methane-containing emissions from landfills, wastewater treatment facilities, dairy farms, and the oil and gas industry, and turn them into fuels or energy storage systems.

“If we could find a cost-effective way to upgrade and store these gases until they are needed, there would be more incentive to recycle the gas instead of venting it or burning it off in flare stacks,” she says. “With this award, I’ll be able to create a new research program that could connect with industry and policymakers. I’m honored to have the opportunity to work on this new endeavor at the Lab.”