Environmental Remediation ScienceProgram

The Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby announces interest in receiving applications for research grants in the Environmental Remediation Sciences Program (ERSP), which is within the Climate and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD) in the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER). The ERSP seeks to advance fundamental science to understand, predict and mitigate the impacts of environmental contamination from past nuclear weapons production and provide a scientific basis for the long term stewardship of nuclear waste disposal. The program supports an integrated portfolio of research ranging from molecular to field scales with emphasis on the use of advanced computer models and multidisciplinary, iterative experimentation to understand and predict contaminant transport in complex subsurface environments. This mission is guided by the BER long term performance measure to provide sufficient scientific understanding such that DOE sites would be able to incorporate coupled physical, chemical and biological processes into decision making for environmental remediation and long-term stewardship. To meet this measure, BER funds basic research to investigate the key processes affecting the mobility of subsurface contaminants found at DOE sites. The goal of this solicitation is to support innovative, fundamental research to investigate the coupled physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting the transport of subsurface contaminants commonly found at DOE sites. Applications should identify critical knowledge gaps and address hypothesis-driven research to better understand the significant physical, chemical, and biological processes influencing the form and mobility of specific inorganic contaminants in the subsurface. Research projects should aim to provide the scientific basis for the long term stewardship of contaminated sites across the DOE complex and the development of new remediation concepts and strategies. Applications must include an explanation of how the proposed research supports the BER long term performance measure. The environment of interest is the terrestrial subsurface including the vadose zone, the saturated zone and key groundwater-surface water interfaces. The proposed research is expected to contribute to the public good by advancing the fundamental science associated with the cycling and transport of inorganic elements in the subsurface, and that benefit will be expressed through contributions to the technical literature. Listed below are the specific radionuclide and heavy metal Contaminants of Concern for this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and an outline of the general science needs of the ERSP. Phytoremediation and the study of organic contaminants are NOT addressed in this FOA.