REQUEST FOR DATA AND INFORMATION ON ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO INCINERATION FOR MIXED TRANSURANIC AND ALPHA LOW-LEVEL WASTE. Request for Information DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY The U.S. DOE is seeking information on emerging technologies as alternatives to incineration for review by the Secretary of Energy Scientific Advisory Board, Blue Ribbon Panel on Emerging Technological Alternatives to Incineration. This is not a solicitation announcement for proposals and no contract will be awarded as a direct result of the information provided. No reimbursements will be made for any costs associated with preparation of responses to this request. ACTION: Request for data and information on alternative technologies to incineration for mixed transuranic and alpha low-level waste. SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) seeks information from firms and organizations with capabilities and interest in existing and emerging non-incineration technologies for the treatment of Mixed Alpha and Mixed Transuranic (TRU) waste currently being stored at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The information is sought to inform the Blue Ribbon Panel on Emerging Technological Alternatives to Incineration. The Panel, as part of the Secretary's Energy Advisory Board, is a duly constituted advisory committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) governed by the Act's rules. DATES: Submit data and information within 30 days of this announcement. ADDRESSES: All responses should be in writing and be provided to the Executive Director of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, Mary Louise Wagner, U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, Washington D.C. 20585. It should be marked Attention: Blue Ribbon Panel on Alternatives to Incineration. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Background INEEL is one of DOE's primary centers for research and development activities on reactor performance, materials testing, environmental monitoring, natural resources research and planning, and waste processing. In addition to nuclear reactor research, INEEL supports reactor operations; processing and storage of high-level waste (HLW), low-level mixed waste (LLMW), and low-level waste (LLW); the disposal of LLW; and, storage of TRU waste generated by defense program activities. DOE has been storing TRU waste at the INEEL since the early 1970s. The Settlement Agreement and Consent Order signed by the State of Idaho, DOE, and the Navy requires the removal of this waste by 2018. To treat the TRU and alpha contaminated mixed waste at INEEL, the Department is planning an Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP) to be constructed and operated at INEEL. Although incineration was initially proposed as part of this facility, the Secretary has chosen to postpone the incinerator and await the recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Panel on emerging technological alternatives that may be capable of treating the waste. Accordingly, the Department has requested the State of Idaho and EPA only proceed with regulatory approval of the non-incineration components of the AMWTP. Currently, DOE is committed to the goal of identifying environmentally sound alternatives to incineration. The Secretary of Energy has appointed the Panel to evaluate and recommend new technology initiatives that the Department should consider as alternatives to incineration of mixed transuranic and mixed alpha bearing waste that include shipment of the TRU waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. In particular, the Panel will assess emerging technologies that could treat such wastes contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other hazardous constituents. The panel is then to make recommendations to the DOE by December 15, 2000 regarding alternatives. Request for Data and Information Information provided in response to this RFI will be the sole source made available from industrial and academic organizations to the Panel as the means by which the Panel can review and consider alternatives from the industrial and public perspective. The Panel seeks information that may not be under the purview of the Department of Energy and associated laboratories and contractors. This request for information is voluntary and solely for the purposes of the Panel review. No individual response back to the providers of the information is planned but rather the Panel report will reflect consideration of the input received from responses to this RFI. Although the Panel would prefer to review non-proprietary information, proprietary information will be accepted. If you wish to include proprietary information in your response, the title page of the response must be marked with the following legend: Use and Disclosure of Proprietary Information This document includes proprietary information that shall not be disclosed outside the Panel and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed -- in whole or in part -- for any purpose other than review by the Panel. This restriction does not limit the right of the Panel, its members, or the Government to use information contained in the proprietary information if they are obtained from another source without restriction. The information subject to this restriction are contained on pages [insert page numbers]. You shall also mark each page containing proprietary information with the following legend: "Use or disclosure of information contained on this page is subject to the restriction on the title page of this document." The Panel will use the information provided to evaluate and recommend approaches and focus to be taken by the Department concerning the development, testing, permitting, and deployment of emerging non-incineration technologies. This RFI is not an opportunity or obligation to provide goods or services to DOE. All information provided is strictly voluntary without expectations of remuneration from the Department. Responses to this RFI should address each of the criterion listed on the following page. Limit responses to no more than a total of 35 typed pages using a font size of no less than 10 point, Arial or similar. Responses must include a one-two page overview of the technology or system, as well as a one-page table that summarizes the key characteristics for each of the seven individual criterion. To be considered, all responses are due within 30 calendar days of the date of this RFI notice. The Panel has selected criteria as guidelines for making recommendations to the Department on emerging alternative technologies. Information supplied in response to this RFI should indicate the status data, knowledge, testing, and operating experience relative to following criteria: 1. Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) Risk Considerations (Describe the safety of the system, potential ES&H risks and the difficulty in designing and constructing a system to meet the safety and environmental health requirements in radioactive service.) 2. Stakeholder and Regulatory Interests (Describe the degree to which there may be resistance or delays in implementing the technology or system due to either public concerns or regulatory requirements.) 3. Functional and Technical Performance (Describe the technicalperformance of the treatment process to include destruction efficiency, volume reduction capability, secondary waste generation, robustness and flexibility of the system to process diverse types of waste, final waste form performance & characteristics, and its capability to be shipped.) 4. Operational Reliability (Describe the reliability and availability of the treatment process, its complexity, and the potential exposure to maintenance workers.) 5. Pre- and Post-Treatment (Describe the pre-treatment and post-treatment requirements of the waste including expected amounts and the requirements for treating the effluents from the process.) 6. Economic Viability (Describe the total life-cycle cost of the system, the cost per unit volume of waste treated, the market for the technology, and the potential that the technology will be commercially available to treat the waste.) 7. Maturity (Describe the level of development of the technology, field experience with the technology in radioactive service, and whether the technology will be available in the time frame required, i.e., removal of this waste by 2018.) Most of the waste treated at the AMWTP will be packaged for shipment offsite for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Alpha LLMW must be treated to comply with RCRA land disposal restriction (LDR) standards and the mixed TRU waste must be treated to meet the WIPP waste acceptance criteria (WAC). WIPP WAC physical properties include: Free liquid content is less than 1 volume percent of external container; or less than 1 inch or 2.5 cm in bottom of internal containers; no sealed containers greater than 4 liters. WIPP WAC chemical properties are: less than 1% radionuclide pyrophorics, no non-radionuclide pyrophorics; hazardous waste characterized in accordance with approved site-specific criteria limited to RCRA hazardous waste codes as listed in WIPP WAC Table 3.5.2; no chemicals or materials that are incompatible; no explosives, corrosives or compressed gases; PCB concentration less than 50 ppm; wastes containing asbestos should be identified; every container headspace will be sampled for volatile organic compounds. Additional information on WIPP WAC should be reviewed at http://www.wipp.carlsbad.nm.us/wipp.htm. Suitable non-incineration technology must be available in time to complete the treatment and shipment of a minimum of about 3000 cubic meters of INEEL TRU waste. Certain wastes will require alternative treatment prior to shipment to WIPP or land disposal if incineration is not used. Such wastes may contain the following contaminants: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in concentrations equal to or greater than 50 parts per million (ppm), Containers with a potential for a flammable concentration of gas in the head space due to the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or from significant hydrogen gas generation due to radiolysis, Containers with free liquids, Reactive or pyrophoric materials. Bulk composition of these wastes include paper, oils and other organics, cloth, metals, glass, empty bottles and absorbent, and process sludges. ## See Note(s) ***** Posted 08/25/00 (W-SN490463).

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