CEN/TS 17943 Characterization of Wastes - Guide to the Determination of the Content of Elements and Substances in Wastes

The standard “CEN/TS 17943 Characterization of waste - Guide to the determination of the content of elements and substances in waste”, a technical specification developed by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), provides guidance on waste characterization. This standard is valid for all types of waste of unknown or partially known composition, giving examples of European standards devoted to waste characterization and analytical methods for parameters not covered by the standards. Some requirements for the determination of the content of inorganic elements and organic substances in waste are given to reach approximately 90 percent or the highest possible mass.

In cases where information about the origin or composition of the waste is provided by the owner of the waste, it may be sufficient to follow only part of this standard to complete the missing information about the waste.

For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply:

• Dry matter is the mass fraction of the sample excluding water. It is expressed as the mass fraction calculated by determining the dry residue or water content.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are any organic compounds that have an initial boiling point of 101,3 degrees Celsius or lower as measured at 250 kPa standard atmospheric pressure. According to the World Health Organization, volatile organic compounds are organic compounds with a boiling point (in the range of 50-100 degrees to 240-260 degrees Celsius).
• Semi-volatile organic compounds, According to the World Health Organization, organic compounds with boiling points between 240-260 degrees and 380-400 degrees. It is difficult or impossible to determine the boiling points of some compounds because they decompose before boiling at atmospheric pressure. Vapor pressure is another criterion for classifying compound volatility that can be used in the classification of organic chemicals. The vapor pressure of semi-volatile organic compounds is between 10−2 mPa and 10 Pa.
• Unidentified volatile or semi-volatile compounds are mass calculated from the unresolved chromatographic areas of the corresponding chromatograms.
• Non-removable organic compounds are the mass lost by calcination of the dried solid residue remaining after removal of semi-volatile substances. A chemical compound that cannot be removed by a method that does not significantly alter the chemical nature of these residues.
• Internal calibration standards are compounds added to the sample in a known amount from the beginning of the protocol and used to ensure analytical coverage throughout the procedure and to correct for losses during sample preparation and analysis by accounting for all system matrix effects (recoveries, ionization effect, variability of the instrument detector response, for example).
• External calibration standards are compounds that are added in a known amount to a sample analyzed separately from the unknown sample under similar conditions and are used to facilitate qualitative identification or quantitative determination of sample components.
• An unresolved chromatographic peak is that portion of a chromatogram in which separation is incomplete and corresponds to two or more components that may elute together from the chromatographic column.

In principle, this method consists in the determination of the content of elements and substances in the waste content above 0,1 percent (by weight). It is valid for laboratory samples of liquid and solid waste. It is based on standard methods when available or otherwise on non-standardized methods briefly described in this document, specifying any extraction procedures and quantitative or semi-quantitative analytical methods.

All work must be carried out in accordance with the standard “EN 16457 Characterization of wastes - Framework for the preparation and implementation of a test programme - Objectives, planning and report”. Sampling must be carried out in accordance with EN 14899 and CEN/TR 15310-1 to 5. Laboratory samples must be prepared in accordance with EN 15002. All standards referred to by this standard are listed in the table provided in the standard.

Given the multitude of potential analyses and pretreatments (including any separation of the component liquid and solid phases of a sample), it is recommended that the laboratory sample of liquids be at least 10L and of solids (powders and slurries) at least 10kg.

Analytical test portions from laboratory samples should be prepared in accordance with EN 15002. When samples consist of several immiscible phases or fractions, analyses should be performed on each phase and the results should be summed to obtain a complete result covering the entire sample. By convention, a waste sample is considered liquid if it flows freely from the orifice of a container within a limited time.

Among the numerous testing, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies that our organization has carried out for businesses in various sectors, our organization also provides testing services defined in the “CEN/TS 17943 Characterization of waste - Guide to the determination of the content of elements and substances in waste” standard with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.