U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268

A -- DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR REMOVAL OF MERCURY FROM AQUEOUS STREAMS DUE 080499 POC Marilyn Lehmkuhl, (513) 569-7428 or Brian A. Westfall, (513) 569-7511 WEB: None, http://www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/std/rfa/. E-MAIL: None, westfall.brian@epamail.epa.gov or lehmkuhl.marilyn@epamail.epa.gov. REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY NATIONALS RISK MANAGEMENT RESEARCH LABORATORY SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY DIVISION CLEAN PROCESSES AND PRODUCTS BRANCH CINCINNATI, OHIO 45268 DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR REMOVAL OF MERCURY FROM AQUEOUS STREAMS Attached is a Request for Applications (RFA). An offeror must submit the application (original plus one copy) so as to be received by Close of Business (5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time) on August 4, 1999. The application should be sent to: Marilyn H. Lehmkuhl U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Risk Management Research Laboratory 26 West Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 An application received after the above time and date will not be considered unless there is clear evidence that the application was mishandled by EPA after its timely receipt. Since the evaluation process includes review by non-EPA personnel, any proposal submitted with proprietary markings shall be returned to the originator without review. Do not mark your Applications as "Proprietary" or "Confidential". Questions regarding this RFA should be directed in writing to Brian A. Westfall at (513) 569-7677 FAX or westfall.brian@epa.gov E-Mail, before July 23, 1999. I. BACKGROUND EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) supports the development of innovative, cost-effective environmental technologies and, therefore, solicits applications for a Cooperative Agreement (CA) in the amount of $80,000 to develop innovative technology for the selective removal of mercury from aqueous streams such as scrubber water generated by wet scrubbing of coal-fired boiler flue gases. Background on Mercury Emissions Mercury emissions from coal-fired utility and commercial boilers and solid waste incinerators represent a serious environmental problem and have been the focus of many recent regulatory deliberations. Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (Title 1H, Section 112 [b] [1]) require major sources to use maximum available control technology to reduce mercury emissions. At present coal-fired boilers contribute approximately 50% of the U.S. mercury emissions (80 tons/yr) and incinerators contribute approximately 29% (46 tons/yr). Other diverse industries, such as chlor-alkali, cement manufacturing, and smelting contribute approximately 18% (28 tons/yr). Residen-tial boilers contribute the remaining 3% (4 tons/yr). Through source reduction it is projected that the contribution of incinerators will drop to 6 tons/yr. The emissions from coal-fired boilers and industry are expected to remain flat or increase slightly if nothing is done. Consequently the relative contribution of commercial coal-fired boilers is projected to be approximately 72% of the total US emission in 2006. Previous Work Many options and strategies are available for reducing the quantities of mercury released to the environment from coal-fired utility plants. These methods include: (1) efficiency improvements; (2) coal cleaning; (3) fuel switching; (4) direct sorbent injection; and (5) scrubbing. More information and technical references for these approaches are available at http://news.poweronline.com/technical-news/19990114-1131.html#2. The Department of Energy (DOE), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and others are funding additional research, developmental work, and pilot-/full-scale testing on these and other novel technologies. The effectiveness of any technology depends to a large extent on the speciation of mercury in the flue gas. The ratio of elemental to oxidized mercury that is formed during combustion is a function of coal type, with the amount of chlorine present in the coal playing a primary role. In the EPA Mercury Report to Congress, it is reported that 94% of the vapor mercury was oxidized mercury for a bituminous coal, while 32% was oxidized for a sub-bituminous coal. Existing wet scrubbers routinely achieve 85-95% removal of oxidized mercury. Unfortunately they remove virtually none of the elemental mercury. Increasing the liquid to gas ratio in these scrubbers can raise the removal efficiency as high as 98-99% for oxidized mercury species. DOE, EPRI, and to a lesser extent EPA are continuing to investigate technologies for removal of mercury from flue gas. New sorbents and sorbent injection methods are the primary focus. Currently, 30% of the coal-fired plants use some form of scrubber technology. What has received very little attention from DOE and EPRI is the fate of the oxidized mercury that is transferred into a water phase and methods for its removal or sequestration from the environment. Scope of Work for RFA Scrubber water chemistry is complex and will impact the efficiency of any chemical process. As a rough starting point one can assume that the mercury concentration in the scrubber water is on the order of 0.5 ppm and the pH is near 5. EPA, through this RFA, is soliciting proposals that will investigate novel methods for the sequestration of mercury from scrubber water or coal cleaning water. The target is to lower the mercury concentration to less than 1 ppb. For the purpose of this RFA, one is to assume that the mercury is preoxidized. A successful technology will most likely combine high capacity and selectivity for mercury with low cost or the capability of being regenerated with high efficiency. The key objectives of the proposal should include: (1) the acquisition of sufficient experimental data to characterize the process and (2) the projected cost of the process. Given the complex chemistry of the scrubber water, the experimental work should use actual scrubber water(s) or realistic surrogates. If a sorbent or ion exchange system is proposed, methods for the regeneration of the material or its final disposition should be identified. The successful Applicant (awardee) shall comply with the QA/QC requirements as delineated in the full RFA. II. SOLICITATION INSTRUCTIONS In order to qualify for the award of the proposed CA, an applicant must first submit an application (original and one copy) to the address cited on the title page of this announcement. The application must describe the approach and organizational structure that can successfully address the research focus of this solicitation. Format The cover page for the application shall utilize the format shown in EXHIBIT B of the full RFA. Indicate the date submitted and the proposal title, along with the names, addresses and telephone and fax numbers of the Applicant and Principal Investigator. Applications are limited to 30 two-sided pages (15 sheets printed on both sides), not including the cover page and resumes which may be in addition to the 30 pages. The technical approach/ work plan portion of the application is limited to five(5) of the 30 pages. Applications should be on 8 X 11 inch paper, typed with 10 to 12 characters per inch. Figures and tables are encouraged and may be reduced to fit the page size. Care is urged in ensuring that all figures, data, and labeling are clearly legible. All information must be included within the page limit. Application ContentRespondents should carefully review the entire solicitation package, paying close attention to the specific research area and selection factors. Each selection factor should be clearly identified and addressed in the order listed. A brief (1 page) budgetary estimate must be included, broken down into typical cost categories including direct labor, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, other direct costs, and overhead. Include any amounts of proposed cost-sharing. Remember to avoid any assertion of confidentiality on the application. Pre-applications from consortia shall clearly indicate the lead organization responsible for the research and cost management; all other involved parties and their roles should also be listed. Posted 07/08/99 (W-SN351961). 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