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Energy Dept. Awards $3.3 million for Advanced Remediation Technology

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) today awarded 12 contracts totaling $3.3 million to support the development of technologies that have the potential to reduce cleanup costs and increase the safety and efficiency of treating and disposing of radioactive waste. These contracts provide funding to small and large businesses and a university to develop technologies over a six month period.

"These awards allow for further development and evaluation of technologies that can lead to breakthroughs in how the Department implements its cleanup mission across the complex," said Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management Jim Rispoli. "We look forward to evaluating how these key remediation technologies can help us meet our cleanup needs in the years to come."

The Department received 39 proposals for performing work under Phase I of the contract of which 12 proposals were selected. Phase I proposed activities include: laboratory/pilot-scale test results, developing a technical approach for demonstration, scale-up and implementation schedule, detailed system design, and a detailed cost estimate for implementation in Phase II.

The contractors and the focus of their advanced remediation technology work include: one university: the University of Texas for strontium immobilization in groundwater; four small businesses: ARES Corporation for single-shell heel removal, TMR Associates for tank heel removal, North Wind for subsurface characterization, and Commodore Advanced Sciences, Inc., for metals separation; and five businesses: Cogema Inc., (2 awards) for cold crucible induction melter and tank waste alumina recovery, THOR Treatment Technologies for treatment of Hanford and Savannah River site high level waste, Parsons Inc., (2 awards) for cesium removal and aluminum and chromium removal, Gas Technology Institute for submerged combustion melting, and ARCADIS G&M Inc., for groundwater remediation.

The estimated cumulative contract value of these 12 six-month fixed price contracts is valued at $3.3 million, approximately $300,000 per contract. The Department will evaluate the proposals at the end of the six-month contract period and select those technologies which can provide the greatest benefit to the Department's cleanup mission for further development.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy