Workers at the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (TOCDF) today began using a new $33 million filtering system designed to safely capture mercury from furnace exhaust gas streams generated while processing mustard agent filled munitions contaminated with elevated levels of mercury.

The massive filtering units, measuring nearly 60 feet long and weighing more than 35 tons were added to the existing Pollution Abatement System(PAS) because some of the mustard agent-filled munitions stored at Deseret Chemical Depot are contaminated with elevated amounts of mercury.

The new PAS Filtration System (PFS) uses sulfur-impregnated carbon filters to capture mercury in furnace exhausts. To ensure maximum safety of the workers, community and environment, mercury-monitoring systems are located at intervals within the filter beds. These mercury-monitoring systems ensure the carbon filters are working properly and complement other emission monitoring equipment.

Scaled testing of the carbon's mercury-capturing capability and the PAS Filtration System's (PFS) design, conducted in 2007 at the University of North Dakota's Energy and Environmental Research Center, was successful. Now, as part of the PFS start-up at the TOCDF, officials are preparing for full-scale performance tests before Utah state regulatory authorities, scheduled next month.

Source: The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency (CMA), KFGO News Center