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ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF TECHNOLOGIES TO TREAT MERCURY AND DISPOSE IN A WASTE CONTAINMENT FACILITY
Citation:
SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, AND MPR ASSOCIATES, INC. ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF TECHNOLOGIES TO TREAT MERCURY AND DISPOSE IN A WASTE CONTAINMENT FACILITY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-05/157, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
to publish information
Description:
This report is intended to describe an economic and environmental analysis of a number of technologies for the treatment and disposal of elemental mercury. The analysis considers three treatment technologies that convert elemental mercury into a stable form of mercury. The technologies are identified as Option A, Option B, and Option C in this report. Several vendors use processing techniques and/or prepare economic information which has been claimed as proprietary; however, only non-proprietary information is presented in this report. Each of the three treatment technologies is subject to a number of variations that include either a centralized treatment facility or one or more mobile treatment facilities, followed by either macroencapsulation or no macroencapsulation, with ultimate disposal in a monofill. Thus, there are twelve treatment and disposal alternatives all together. Also, three different masses of mercury are being considered for each of the 12 alternatives: 5,000 metric tons, 12,000 metric tons, and 25,000 metric tons. Thus, 36 treatment and disposal alternatives are being considered. In addition, cost estimates have been prepared for storage of the three masses of elemental mercury in above ground facilities, making a total of 39 cost estimates in all. It is assumed that 1,000 MT per year is treated and disposed of independent of the total mass. For the storage alternatives, it is assumed 5,000 MT is already in storage (approximately consistent with the existing amount in government stockpiles) and that the additional elemental mercury becomes available over 12 and 25 years respectively for the 12,000 MT and 25,000 MT alternatives (e.g., due to chlor-alkali plant closure).