Leaching experiments on the release of heavy metals and PAH from C&D waste and MSWI bottom ash
(2010)
Leaching tests are fundamental tools for the assessment of long-term impact of
contaminated waste materials on the soil-groundwater pathway. Waste materials should be
tested under conditions equal to their actual application in re-use scenarios to achieve reliable
results. Since the standards for leaching procedures available on international level so far are
either not validated or considered inadequate in respect to coarse grained materials, new
standards had to be developed. Therefore column percolation and batch test procedures have
been standardized and validated to enable their introduction to new German regulations
concerning waste management. Practical aspects of the test procedures as well as the
boundary conditions compared to the already existing standards will be described. Examples
including round robin test results will be given to justify the selection of the new
specifications.
Leaching tests are fundamental tools for the assessment of long-term impact of contaminated waste materials on the soil-groundwater pathway. Experiments were carried out in the framework of standardization and validation of column percolation and batch test procedures, in particular concerning the stipulation of the experimental setup. The colloid release of column and batch experiments was compared and the influence of different column filling heights (12.5–50 cm) on the release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from soil was studied, as well as the effect of varying contact times (2.5–16 h) on the release of chromium from construction and demolition (C&D) waste and municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash. The results indicate that filtration of the eluate, which is required for batch tests, does not always allow the simulation of the actual colloid amount in soil pore water. Medium column heights four times the inner diameter of the column seemed to provide reasonable equilibrium adjustment conditions and avoid major biodegradation. The release of chromium was only marginally affected by the contact time, varied between 0.115 and 0.150 mg/kg for demolition waste eluate at a liquid-to-solid ratio of approximately 5 L/kg.
Im Zusammenhang mit der Novellierung der Bundes-Bodenschutzverordnung und der Einführung einer Ersatzbaustoffverordnung wurden vom DIN-Normenausschuss Wasserwesen, Unterausschuss "Eluierungsverfahren" zwei Verfahren zur Elution von Feststoffen erarbeitet. Dabei handelt es sich um ein Säulenperkolationsverfahren zur gemeinsamen Untersuchung des Elutionsverhaltens von organischen und anorganischen Stoffen und ein Schüttelverfahren mit einem Wasser-/Feststoff-Verhältnis (W/F) von 2 l/kg zur Untersuchung der Elution von anorganischen Stoffen. Beide Verfahren sind für Bodenmaterialien und mineralische Abfälle mit einer Korngröße bis 32 mm vorgesehen. Der Vergleich der Praktikabilität der beiden Elutionsverfahren soll zur Diskussion zu deren Einsatz im Rahmen der geplanten bundeseinheitlichen gesetzlichen Regelungen beitragen, welche gegenwärtig kontrovers geführt wird.