Waste analysis & characterisation

Characterisation of the waste to be treated is of primary importance because it allows:

Identification of the disposal route,
Identification of handling risks, for example in rehabilitation of dismantling operations,
The development of a treatment suited to the problem to be resolved.

This requires combining all the information about the waste.
Observations first cover its physical properties (Consistency, colour, odour, dryness…) and are completed by the measurement of quantitative parameters.

Different types of tests can be made:

Granulometric analyses,
Leaching tests (France, United States, Netherlands) both standardized and under development (for example European test projects),
Long term leaching tests (Dynamic leaching tests, ANC tests...),
Chemical composition solid (waste, soil) or liquid (waste water, leachate…) materials,
Physical and mechanical characterization,
Mineralogical analyses,
Ecotoxicity tests…