The DeHg Processfor Treating

Mercury Mixed Waste

NEWMOABreaking the Mercury Cycle:Long-Term Management of Surplus & Recycled MercuryAnd Mercury-Bearing Waste

Boston, MAMay 1-3, 2002

NUCLEAR FUEL SERVICES, INC.

May 1-3, 2002 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. 2

Outline of Presentation

• NFS Overview• Origin of NFS DeHg® Process• Application History• Process Overview• Summary

May 1-3, 2002 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. 3

NFS Focus Areas

• Nuclear Fuel Production• High-Enriched Uranium Recovery/Conversion• Decommissioning and Decontamination (D&D)• Environmental Services• Process Development/Metals Recovery• Mercury Mixed Waste Treatability/Treatment

May 1-3, 2002 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. 4

DeHg® (DEE-merc)

• Mercury Amalgamation/Stabilization Process• Developed 1991 for NFS Mercury Mixed Waste• Deployed 1995 for Hg Mixed Waste Treatment• Continuous Improvement Through Testing,

Demonstrations and Treatment, January 1995 - present• Performed at Ambient Temperature • Stabilizes Variety of RCRA Metals• Meets LDR/UTS

May 1-3, 2002 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. 5

DeHg® Applications

• Wide Variety of Matrices Elemental Hg Soils & Sludges Aqueous & Organic Liq. Shreddable Debris Non-Shreddable Debris IX Resins Salts & Solidified Forms

• Various Chemical Species Oxide Chloride Iodide Cyanide Thiocyanate Organo (Ph-HgCl) Elemental

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Experience Chart

PinellasFernaldUSEC

Radiopharmaceutical A,BLANL

ETTP (HgWG)INEEL (HgWG)Commercial Fuel

300 kg

Treatment,Treatability

Demonstrations1995 - present

Elemental Hg Soils/Sediments Debris

FernaldUSECLANL

Radiopharmaceutical ACommercial Fuel

Commercial D&D A

PORTS IX (HgWG)Speciation (HgWG)

Chlor-Alkali (2)BNL (HgWG)

Commercial D&D A

Aqueous, Organic, Oil

PinellasINEEL

VFL/LEFPC Wastewater

11,000 kg10,000 kg202,000 kg

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Experience Summary

• Various Matrices, Generators and Chemical Forms• Nuclear and Chemical Industries• Permitted for Treatment

Tennessee, Washington & Utah (DET for >260ppm)

• Final Forms Disposed at Three (3) Sites LANL Chem Nuclear/Barnwell Envirocare of Utah

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Mercury Species Stabilization - 260 ppmSoils

0.006

140.004

120.004

0.310.001

120.001

100.001

100.001

120.001

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

TCLP, mg/L

Sulfide

Chloride

Oxide

Elemental

Ph-Hg Cl

SCN

CN

Iodide

Ch

emic

al F

orm

Final

Initial

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Hg and RCRA Metals StabilizationSpent Anion IX Resin

1.620.014

0.250.02

0.130.02

0.270.018

4.220.08

1.260.045

1.350.035

0 1 2 3 4 5TCLP, ppm

Ba

Cd

Cr

Hg

Ni

Zn

Cu

RC

RA

Met

als

WasteStabilized

Waste Feed

May 1-3, 2002 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. 10

DeHg AmalgamationPharmaceutical Mercury with

TritiumMetal

TCLP mg/LFinal Waste Form

Arsenic <0.0006Barium 0.01Cadmium <0.0007Chromium 0.04Copper 0.007Lead 0.0005Mercury 0.001Nickel 0.002Selenium 0.009Silver <0.001Zinc 0.01

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Soil Stabilization >260ppm

0.00060.005 0.006

0.0020.007

0.001

0.0102

0.0000.0050.0100.0150.0200.0250.0300.0350.0400.0450.050

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Batch Number

TC

LP

[H

g],

pp

m

UTS = 0.025 mg/L TCLP

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DeHgDeployment Lifecycle

• CharacterizationForm, Contaminants, Size, Quantity

• TreatabilityFormulation and Processing Approach

• Treatment / Processing

• Certified Assays and Disposal

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Testing Enclosure

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Stabilization Reactor

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Mercury Analyzer

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DeHg Process Deployment

• Preprocessing (Off-The-Shelf Equipment) Shredders, Sprayers Ambient Temperature

• Processing (Off-The-Shelf Equipment) Ribbon Blenders, Pug Mills, Reaction Vessels, etc. Ambient Temperature

• Reagents Formulated and Applied Dry or Wet As Low as $50/ton

May 1-3, 2002 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. 17

Approach

In-SituRemediation

Ex-SituRemediation

Elemental Hg (condensed)Solutions

PrecipitatesSecondary

Technology (ies)Soils

Elemental Hg (condensed)Raw Soil ResidualsSecondary

DeHg®Amalgamation/Stabilization

DeHg®Amalgamation/Stabilization

Vacuum Extraction, Direct Stabilization Thermal, Direct Stabilization

Matrices Matrices

Stream Treatment Stream Treatment

Profiling/Disposition Profiling/Disposition

May 1-3, 2002 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. 18

Aging StudyVarious Mercury Waste Forms

• Initiated Program to Archive Treated Waste Forms for Long-Term Stability Study

• Elemental Hg Amalgam• Soil w/ >260 ppm Hg (MER03)• Debris w/ Elemental Hg (>260 ppm)• Surrogate Soil w/ >5,000 ppm Hg (MER04)

May 1-3, 2002 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. 19

SummaryDeHg®

• Is an ambient temperature process • Deals effectively with a wide variety of matrices • Has been continuously improved to amalgamate DOE elemental Hg and

stabilize solid mixed wastes and other RCRA metals• Consistently achieves UTS• Gives DOE adaptable approach to remediate soils, sludges, DAW,

equipment, bulk elemental and other orphaned HgMW• Aging studies show excellent stability• Has been permitted for treatment at four (4) locations (three [3] States)

and has received a variance (DET) for >260ppm• Is an ongoing program of process improvement• Shows potential application in reducing coal-fired plant stack emissions