The initiative to start this website originated in 2021 in a CEN/TC 444/Working Group 1 meeting on Leaching chaired by Pierre Hennebert and it was prompted by the fact that a lot of background information on validation studies and background information on leaching is in so-called grey literature (e.g. government, agency reports, institutional reports). After some discussion, it was decided to set up an ad-hoc group providing input and reviewing the content.
The team that has contributed to the development of the current website has been involved in the development, standardization and regulatory implementation of leaching tests across a wide range of matrices in Europe and US.
Since the chemical and physical factors that control the leaching of substances from different matrices in principle are the same, only a few different types of leaching tests are actually required to produce the answer to almost any question concerning leaching of substances from almost any matrix or product. When selecting, applying and interpreting the results of one or more of these few test types to assess a given scenario concerning the leaching of given substances from a given matrix, due consideration must be given to the test conditions and sample preparation to account for specific physical factors such as particle size effects, monolithic character of products, mode of contact with water, and permeability as well as chemical factors such as pH, organic matter, sorptive phases and minerals.
This has led to the development of a set of leaching tools that are applicable for almost any material or product to assess release of inorganic and organic substances. Where at first the same methods were developed in different fields of application (waste, soil, construction products), the work in CEN/TC444 – Environmental characterisation – Standardization of methods for the environmental characterization of soil, solid and liquid waste, biowaste and sludge – is a step towards a more horizontal development of test procedures. Hence the placement of this website under the CEN/TC444 umbrella makes sense. Very similar methods have been developed in parallel at Vanderbilt University (Nashville) in cooperation with US EPA and are currently applied around the globe.
The information on this site has been created by the authors and may be used or cited freely as long as the origin (www.leachingtests.com) or specific references mentioned therein are referenced.
The contribution of the NEN secretariat of CEN/TC 444 (Marleen Schoemaker, Fleur van Langen and Paul Folten) in setting up and maintaining the website is gratefully acknowledged.
Dr Hans A. van der Sloot, PhD
Since 1976 Mr. Hans van der Sloot has held different positions in the Netherlands Energy Research Foundation (ECN, Petten, The Netherlands) until December 2009. After retiring he became a private consultant. He has been involved in standardization of leaching tests for waste, soil and construction products at national level (NEN) since 1983, at European level for waste (CEN TC 292 Waste) since 1993 and construction products (CEN TC 351) since 2004, at international level with US EPA (SW 846) and ISO TC190 (Soil). He has been involved in several waste, construction and landfill related studies dealing with preparation of regulations (EU Landfill Directive, Construction Products Directive, Construction Products regulation, End of Waste regulation and Hazardous Waste Directive). He has been Associate editor for Waste Management for almost 20 years. Involved in environmental studies on alternative materials in cement production and soil amendment, hazardous and nuclear waste characterization for treatment and disposal.
Email: hans@vanderslootconsultancy.nl
Ms. Margareta Wahlström, MSc.
Ms. Margareta Wahlström (Senior Scientist) is Master of Science (Chem. Tech) from Helsinki University of Technology and with about 40 years of leaching testing experience at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. She has actively participated in the leaching test development since the start of CEN standardization work in 1993 and has a large experience in the interpretation of leaching test results in the assessment of the acceptance of waste related materials in contact with soil and water. She has also deep knowledge in both EU waste legislation and product legislation affecting the use of waste derived products, especially in relation to hazardous substances in construction products. Lately, she has been involved in the development of tools for hazardous waste classification, especially related to testing of the aquatic ecotoxicity property. Furthermore, Margareta has actively participated in the standardisation work (CEN/TC 351 & CEN/TC 444, formerly CEN/TC 292). She is and has also been project leader and partner in numerous European, Nordic and national projects on recycling of construction wastes and sustainable use of waste in construction covering risks related to leaching of hazardous substances.
Dr. Ole Hjelmar, MSc., Chem.Eng.
Mr. Ole Hjelmar (M.Sc., Chem.Eng., Danish Technical University) has since 2015 been co-founder and co-director of Danish Waste Solutions. For more than 40 years, he has led and participated in numerous Danish, Nordic and international R&D projects and provided consultancy services for industry, the waste management sector and local, national and EU authorities regarding characterisation, classification, testing, treatment, recovery and disposal of waste, in particular MSWI residues and B&D waste. He has been particularly interested in the combination of laboratory testing and modelling to perform full scale risk assessments and development of risk-based leaching criteria for beneficial use of residues and landfilling. He participated in the development of risk-based leaching WAC for the EU Landfill Directive and has provided technical support for other EU directives as well as Nordic and national legislation on waste. As a member of CEN/TC 292, CEN/TC 444, CEN/TC 351 and ISO/TC 190 he has participated in the development, interpretation and standardisation of the leaching tests for waste and construction products that are now part of European legislation on waste. He has contributed to eight text books and is the author/co-author of 23 scientific articles and more than 100 international conference papers on various aspects of waste management.
Dr. Ute Kalbe, MSc.
Ms. Ute Kalbe holds a Master’s degree and PhD in crystallography. She is a leading senior scientist in the Division Contaminant Transfer and Environmental Technologies at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in Berlin, Germany where she has been working since 1997. Her research interests include soil and site assessment, recycling of waste and resource recovery particularly from MSWI BA, long-term behaviour of landfill liners, soil pore structure characterization, and environmental compatibility of synthetic sports surfaces. In that context she has actively been involved in the development, standardization and validation of leaching procedures in Germany as well as within CEN/TC 444 (former CEN/TC 292), CEN/TC 351, ISO/TC 190.
CEN/TC 444/WG 1 ‘Leaching tests’ Secretariat
Iwan Slabber
Email AFM@nen.nl
Address Vlinderweg 6, 2623 AX Delft, The Netherlands
Office hours:
Monday – Friday from 9:00 – 17:00 h
