Savannah River National Laboratory wins R&D 100 Award for nuclear waste management innovation 

Researcher Jake Amoroso leads the laboratory’s role in the project titled, “Engineered Cermets for Advanced Reactor Waste Disposal,” which focuses on developing durable solutions to improve nuclear waste management and lessen environmental impact. Collaborators on the Cermets project from academia and industry include Rutgers University, Washington State University, Alfred University, Missouri Science and Technology, along with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Curio Legacy Ventures, Inc., and California Nanotechnologies, Inc.

“I’m incredibly proud of Jake, his team and our collaborators from academia and industry who made this achievement possible,” said SRNL Director Johney Green. “Winning an R&D 100 Award is an extraordinary accomplishment and a testament to the talent, dedication, and collaboration behind this breakthrough. This recognition highlights the impact of our science and the important role SRNL plays in advancing technologies that strengthen nuclear waste management and support our nation’s energy future.” 

Cermets are durable ceramic-metal composites that offer advantages for nuclear waste processing by reducing storage footprint, process complexity, and waste volumes compared to current methods. Compatible with waste from both existing and next-generation reactors, they offer a practical path toward more sustainable nuclear power and advanced reactor waste management. The project has been funded by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy since 2022.

In 2025, SRNL’s Cory Trivelpiece led work with Silica-X on “Advanced Engineered Cellular Magmatics” that garnered an R&D 100 Award. Often referred to as the “Oscars of Innovation,” the R&D 100 Awards have served as the most prestigious innovation awards program for the past 60 years, honoring great R&D pioneers and their revolutionary ideas in science and technology.

Watch the video here to learn more about cermets.

Savannah River National Laboratory is a multi-program federally funded research and development center managed and operated by Battelle Savannah River Alliance for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. EM transforms the nation’s environmental liabilities into opportunities for innovation, job creation, and economic growth, while ensuring safe, secure and prosperous communities across America. For more information, visit energy.gov/em.