AS 4439.3-1997

Specifies the procedure for the preparation of leachates from liquid and solid wastes, sediments, sludges and soils for assessing the potential of inorganic and semivolatile organic materials from wastes to contaminated groundwater.

This Standard provides a method for the preparation of leachates from liquid and solid wastes, sediments, sludges and soils for assessing the potential of inorganic and semivolatile organic contamination of groundwater, in a variety of disposal-to-land scenarios. It deals only with the preparation of the leachate and does not describe procedures prior to submitting samples to the laboratory for analysis or sub-sampling. The range of analyte compounds includes, but is not limited to, those compounds with a vapour pressure in the range 10-1mm Hg to 10-7mm Hg and with a boiling point greater than 150¦C.NOTE: A list of analyte compounds is given in Appendix A.The procedure is not applicable to encapsulated wastes which cannot be reduced to the specified maximum particle size without breaking the integrity of encapsulation.The pH and the oxidation-reduction (redox) potential, or Eh, of a leaching fluid may vary with each disposal environment and is known to affect the leaching of metals and possibly some organic species. No provision is made in this procedure, however, to control pH and Eh during leaching. As an aid to interpretation of results, it is recommended that the Eh of the extracted sample liquid and the solids leachate be measured and reported.

First published as AS 4439.3-1997.