Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 2002, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6501

A -- MERCURY TREATMENT Due 073196. Contact Ken Simpson, 423/435-3763/ Dave Evans, 4123/435-3186. CBD Announcement for Need of Mercury Treatment. Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc. (LMES), under its Prime Contract Numbers DE-AC05-960R22464 and DE-AC05-840R21400 has identified over 30,000 m3 of mercury contaminated mixed low level and transuranic wastes in the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. These waste streams include not only elemental mercury, but also large quantities of sludges, soils, and debris waste with mercury concentrations ranging from less than 2 ppm to greater than 50,000 ppm. According to Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations, wastes containing less than 260 ppm that exceed a mercury concentration of 0.20 mg/l, as determined by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SW-846 Method 1311 Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), must be treated by a suitable method to meet this standard. Wastes with mercury concentrations greater than 260 ppm must be retorted, or treated by a process that the EPA deems equivalent to retorting, to reduce the mercury concentration to less than 260 ppm. In addition, the waste must meet the TCLP requirements, after processing. Secondary mercury waste streams generated from retorting and other separation processes and elemental mercury contaminated with radionuclides must be amalgamated to meet RCRA technology-based treatment standards, such that the RCRA Land Disposal Restrictions are satisfied. This will allow disposal of these waste streams in a RCRA Subtitle C facility. Typically, however, DOE would additionally prefer that the treated waste be capable of passing TCLP requirements and that the final waste form exhibit a substantially reduced vapor pressure. This is the intent of the amalgamation technology-based treatment standard. LMES intends to conduct a source selection for vendors to participate in demonstrations of different types of technologies capable of: Stabilizing wastes containing less than 260 ppm of mercury to meet the TCLP limit: Many of the mercury bearing DOE wastes are in the form of debris, non-aqueous sludges, adsorbed liquids, or partially or fully stabilized sludges. Mercury contaminated soils are also of significant concern. Mercury contained in these wastes is not readily accessible to leaching agents or thermal desorption, and successful removal of mercury from these wastes has not been demonstrated. The mercury may be chemically bound to a matrix constituent such as vermiculant, portland cement, or clay, or physically trapped in the matrix, but still leachable in excess of the prescribed TCLP limits. Thus, it may be more practical to stabilize some mixed wastes to comply with regulations rather than extracting the mercury. Improved mercury stabilization processes would chemically or physically bind mercury to meet TCLP limits for the complex sludges, stabilized wastes, soils and debris in the DOE inventory. Processing methods must ensure adequate stabilization, and include measuring and monitoring methods to control and verify the process. Proposed technologies should include systems to minimize worker exposure, secondary waste generation, and capital and operating cost, while maximizing operational flexibility and radionuclide containment. All secondary waste streams generated during the demonstration must also be treated to meet disposal standards. Separation of mercury from wastes containing more than 260 ppm to meet the TCLP limit and treatment of the secondary mercury waste stream: Improved mercury removal/separation processes would chemically, physically, or thermally extract mercury for separate stabilization from the complex sludges, stabilized wastes, soils and debris in the DOE mixed waste inventory. Processing methods must ensure adequate mercury removal, and include measuring and monitoring methods to control and verify the process. Proposed technologies should include systems to minimize worker exposure, secondary waste generation, and capital and operating cost, while maximizing operational flexibility and radionuclide containment. All secondary waste streams generated during the demonstration must also be treated to meet disposal standards. Amalgamation of elemental mercury contaminated with radionuclides to meet the TCLP limit and to reduce the vapor pressure of the mercury. Mercury amalgamation processes would chemically and/or physically bind the mercury and reduce the vapor pressure of the elemental mercury. Processing must meet LDR standards and include measuring and monitoring methods to control and verify the process. Proposed technologies should include systems to minimize worker exposure, secondary waste generation, and capital and operating cost, while maximizing operational flexibility and radionuclide containment. All secondary waste streams generated during the demonstration must also be treated to meet disposal standards. The demonstrations will be conducted on actual mixed low level wastes and may be pilot and/or full scale as appropriate. The DOE prefers that these demonstrations be preformed at the Vendor's facility. However, under the appropriate conditions demonstration could be preformed by a vendor at a DOE facility on a competitive basis. Qualified interested firms must possess all the applicable permits and licenses prior to subcontract award as appropriate. The proposed methodology is to award one or more subcontracts per category, depending on the costs of the demonstrations and the available funding. Subcontracts will be awarded to vendors whose proposals provide the greatest value to the Government as determined by the evaluation criteria which will be set forth in the Request for Proposals (RFP). Vendors may submit multiple proposals for any or all of the categories. The RFP is expected to be issued in early FY - 97 with awards after evaluation of responses is completed. All vendors interested in receiving any or all of the RFPs should submit their request(s) by letter or by Fax. The request should identify which RFP(s) they wish to receive and a short description of the process they are expecting to propose. Telephone requests will not be accepted. (192)

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