Los Alamos National Laboratory, Mail Stop C331, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545

A -- NON-THERMAL PROCESS FOR CONVERSION OF NITRATES AND NITRITES TO NITROGEN GAS SOL CITPO-97-194 POC Kim Seymore, Civilian and Industrial Technologies Program Office, Los Alamos National Laboratory, MS C331, Tel.: (505) 665-9810, FAX: (505) 667-4098, or kseymore@lanl.gov. The University of California, which operates the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) under contract to the Department of Energy, solicits interest from companies interested in f~inalizing the development and implementing the commercialization of a novel non-thermal and non-biological process for converting nitrates and nitrites to nitrogen gas. A patent application has been submitted and the patent is pending. Mining, chemical, agricultural and fertilizer industries are major generators of nitrate wastes. Such wastes contaminate natural waters and cause excessive biological activity, growth of the vegetation, and precipitation of the organic residues to the bottom. As a result water reservoirs become shallow and eventually are converted to marshes and decay. Simple processes for destruction or separation of nitrates from water do not exist. Among the known and used methods for alleviating the nitrate problem are: reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, ion exchange, evaporation, thermal destruction, and biological destruction. Reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, and ion exchange do not destroy nitrates but remove them from solutions and concentrate. The product is still a nitrate waste, however at much reduced volume and increased concentration. Evaporation is applicable to concentrated nitrate wastes. It will remove water from the waste and result in a solid nitrate salt. Solid nitrate salt may be thermally destroyed. Both evaporation and thermal destruction are very energy intensive processes. During thermal destruction, however, nitrates may be converted into toxic nitrogen oxides. The only process that offers reduction of nitrates to nitrogen gas and ammonia is biological destruction. Biological destruction is slow, diff~icult to control, and results in an organic residue. The Los Alamos invention offers an effective method for reduction of nitrates to nitrogen gas. In the process a transition metal in presence of a catalyst is contacted with the nitrate-containing solution or slurry. As a result, nitrates are quantitatively reduced to nitrites while the metal cat-ions are released to the solution. Subsequently an organic reagent, preferably an amide, is added to the solution. As a result, the organic compound is oxidized by nitrite, and the nitrate is reduced to nitrogen gas. Nitrogen can be either released to the atmosphere or captured. The dissolved metal cat-ions which were released into the solution are electrochemically reduced to metal, recovered, and reused. It has been demonstrated that the process may be used for denitrification of various solutions at various nitrate concentrations. For example, it may be used for treatment of radioactive waste-water effluents which are high in nitrate concentration, or for remediation of contaminated natural waters with low levels of nitrate. Solid nitrate salts, or heterogeneous solids containing nitrate salts, can be processed by mixing with water and subjecting them to the same treatment. The operation of this invention and its capability to convert nitrates and nitrites to nitrogen gas has been demonstrated at bench scale. Engineering development is necessary to bring the invention to a marketable industrial process. Industrial partners are being sought to enter into a technology transfer agreement to complete the development and commercialization of this technology. Prospective partners will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications: (1) a strong background in chemical or electrochemical processing, (2) f~inancial and technical resources capable of supporting the engineering development leading to a royalty-bearing commercial license which grants the Licensee the right to market the patented process, and (3) appropriate resources to market the technology. Interested organizations must respond with a statement of intent describing the organization's technical expertise, manufacturing and marketing capabilities, financial resources (e.g., annual report or corporate resume) and motivation for participating in this program. The statement must be dated within 30 calendar days of the date of this notice. For more information about other available technologies at LANL see the DOE Technology Information Network (DTIN) at http://www.dtin.doe.gov/. (0301)

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