A new standardized leaching test on stabilized wastes

A new long-term leaching test on stabilized and solidified waste material have been developed and standardized in the frame of the Standards, Measurements and Testing (SMT, formerly BCR) programme of the European Union (EU). The project was coordinated by Dr. H. A. Van der Sloot from ECN (Energy Research Foundation, The Netherlands). Twenty-five European laboratories from EU and EFTA countries participated in the intercomparison exercise. The solidification/stabilization treatment of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ashes, using cement as a matrix, was performed by INTRON B. V. (The Netherlands). The resulting solidified waste material was then used to produce the requested specimens for the intercomparison study. Before distribution to participants, specimen homogeneity was tested according to the state-of-the-art technology for physical-mechanical testing of cement samples as well as for consistency of chemical composition of the solid and stabilized waste. The results of tank leaching test for the above mentioned interlaboratory study are reported and the advantages of this new procedure for the study of the environmental impact of solidified wastes are discussed.