Grantee Research Project Results
Innovative Sonic Technology for Ex Situ Treatment of Mercury-Contaminated Waste
EPA Contract Number: 68D01032Title: Innovative Sonic Technology for Ex Situ Treatment of Mercury-Contaminated Waste
Investigators: Mcgrath, Steven F.
Small Business: Montec Research
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: April 1, 2001 through September 1, 2001
Project Amount: $70,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2001) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: SBIR - Waste , Hazardous Waste/Remediation , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Description:
A novel combination of technologies is proposed by Montec Research to improve ex situ mercury remediation. The combination of acoustic agitation, iodine leaching chemistry, and real-time management of leach oxidation potential will allow mercury to be extracted economically from soils, sediments, and debris. Additional residue-washing steps are proposed to help residues pass the Universal Treatment Standards Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure level of 0.025 mg/L. Recovery of iodine from the leach residues also is a critical focus of the research, as near-complete recoveries are required to make many iodine-based processes economically viable.Other commercial benefits are expected to spring from successful completion of the Phase I work. Iodine leaching is applicable as a benign noncyanide leaching process for gold and can be used in the recycling of platinum group metals. The techniques employed to recover the expensive reagent may expand the attractiveness of iodine chemistry in those applications.
Supplemental Keywords:
small business, SBIR, remediation, mercury, chemistry, EPA, soils, sediments, debris., Scientific Discipline, Toxics, Waste, Water, Remediation, Contaminated Sediments, HAPS, 33/50, Environmental Engineering, mercury, recovery, contaminated sediment, contaminated soil, soils, Mercury Compounds, mercury & mercury compoundsProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.