Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4017 Annual Report 2016 17 Separation of the Rare-Earth Fission Product Poisons from Spent Nuclear Fuel There are various methods available for recycling used nuclear fuel in order to recover more of the energy potential of a given quantity of fuel. Aqueous and electrometallurgical methods are well-known, but a dry recycling method exists which does not extract plutonium, use toxic chemicals, or produce large volumes of waste. This patent describes a method to improve dry recycling further by providing a way to separate neutron-absorbing fission product poisons – primarily rare- earths – from the used nuclear fuel. Removal of the rare-earth neutron poisons reduces the amount of enriched uranium oxide feed material needed to re-use the fuel, thus improving the efficiency of this used fuel recycling method. Patent No.9,428,401 Docket No.: BA-286 - Grant Date: 2016-08-30 Inventors: James W Sterbentz, Jerry D. Christian Remediation Using Trace Element Humate Surfactant Cleaning up an environment polluted by an intentional release or an accidental spill is difficult and costly and can damage or destroy a fragile ecosystem. The Trace Element Humate Surfactant (TEHS) solution uses indigenous microbes, humic acid, soaplike surfactants, and base elements in a liquid slurry that can be sprayed on oil-contaminated soil and water using standard firefighting equipment. The microbes in the TEHS solution go to work consuming the oil, leaving delicate environments completely cleaned in a very short period of time. With TEHS there is no human exposure to toxic hydrocarbons and no environmentally destructive soil removal equipment. Patent No.9,427,785 Docket No.: BA-524 - Grant Date: 2016-08-30 Inventors: Catherine L Riddle, Steven C Taylor, Debra Fox Bruhn