Laboratory leaching tests may be used for source term determination as a basis for risk assessment for soilgroundwater pathway (leachate forecast) on contaminated sites in Germany. Interlaboratory comparisons on the evaluation of the reproducibility of column percolation tests were conducted within the framework of an integrated R + D program using three waste reference materials.
The interlaboratory comparisons of column percolation tests showed good reproducibility of the results for inorganic and organic parameters as well as for the accompanying parameters. This is due to the stipulations concerning the time of contact between leachant and sample material as well as the sample placement in the columns. Different column dimensions used by the participants of the interlaboratory comparisons did not have any substantial influence on the column test results.
Laboratory leaching tests may be used for source term determination as a basis for risk assessment for soilgroundwater pathways on contaminated sites. In order to evaluate different leaching procedures, batch extraction tests and percolation tests were performed using three reference materials produced from contaminated soil, demolition waste and municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash. Emphasis was placed on the investigation of the leachability of the heavy metals copper and chromium, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the anions chloride and sulfate. Significant discrepancies between column experiments and batch/extraction tests were found for the release of PAHs and to a lesser extent for the heavy metals Cu and Cr. Additionally interlaboratory comparisons were conducted based on different leaching tests with the reference materials and evaluated using the criteria of comparability and reproducibility. The best reproducibility was achieved for all investigated substances in column tests. The reproducibility of batch tests was acceptable except for PAHs. The results from the experimental work will help establish standardized and feasible laboratory procedures as fundamental for substance specific risk assessment of contaminated sites.
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.
A simple batch test leaching procedure is used in many countries, as a compliance test, to evaluate the leaching of mainly inorganic substances from soil. However, agitating certain types of soil and then passing the solution through a membrane filter with 0.45-µm pores yields filtrates that have been colored by the colloidal particles. These colloids might affect the results of the inorganic substances obtained in the batch tests. In this study, we evaluated the effects of colloidal particles on the results and the reproducibility of batch tests on contaminated soil using different agitation methods and membrane filters with different pore sizes. The leaching behaviors of As, Pb, Se, F and Cl from three types of soil were studied. The As and Pb concentrations in the leachates of some types of soil were clearly affected by the amount of colloidal particles with a diameter of 0.10–0.45 µm and by the agitation method used. This was probably because As and Pb were present mainly in the particulate form in the leachate that had been passed through a membrane filter with 0.45-µm pores. This is not the case for every type of soil. The results of batch leaching tests showed that not only dissolved but also colloidal forms with a diameter of 0.10–0.45 µm might be included and that the existence of colloidal particles in the leachate decreases the batch leaching test reproducibility.