Optimization of a German short term percolation test to determine the leaching of granular materials

Different percolation tests were developed worldwide to characterize the leaching and to evaluate the environmental compatibility of granular materials. The German standard up-flow percolation test has a short testing time and can be used for both coarse and fine-grain materials. Some very fine-grain materials are difficult to percolate. According to the standard, admixture of 80% quartz sand (20% material) can be used for cohesive materials. It is assumed that equilibrium concentrations are reached and therefore the sand does not cause any interfering processes. However, the 80% sand admixture cannot be used for coarse materials due to dilution. A standardized sand admixture for both coarse and fine-grain materials is beneficial for the routine of laboratories. The sand admixture has the further advantage that it reduces the testing time. The experimental and the analysis procedures of the German standard were checked, specified, and optimized. An admixture of 50% sand is a good compromise for cohesive and coarse materials. The statistical variations of heavy metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the optimized test with and without sand admixture were determined with an 8-fold intralaboratory and an interlaboratory test. Then the sand admixture was validated for 16 materials (soils, demolition wastes, ashes and other industrial wastes).