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Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF) How-To Guide - Understanding the LEAF Approach and How and When to Use It
Citation:
Thorneloe, S., D. Kosson, K. Connolly, AND M. Rodgers. Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF) How-To Guide - Understanding the LEAF Approach and How and When to Use It. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-16/097, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this document is to provide information that improves understanding and application of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA’s) Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF) and thereby, facilitate its broader use.
Description:
This document is intended to present the reader with important technical and decision-making information in a user-friendly format for implementation of the Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF)test methods 1313, 1314, 1315, and 1316 for inorganic constituents. The document was developed through a collaboration between the U.S. EPA’s Office or Research and Development and Office of Land and Emergency Management (formerly known as the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response). The development of LEAF represents decades of research and efforts towards development of standardized leaching tests that produce comparable data and can lead to more informed decisions regarding how best to manage industrial waste and other by-products. The sections are designed to address frequently asked questions about the leaching test methods contained within LEAF, data management/reporting using LeachXS software, and potential applications of the LEAF approach. The leaching test methods include batch equilibrium, percolation column and semi-dynamic mass transport tests. By testing over a range of values for pH, liquid/solid ratio, and physical form of the material, this approach allows one data set to be used to evaluate a range of management scenarios for a material, representing different environmental conditions (e.g., disposal or beneficial use). The results from these tests may be interpreted individually or integrated to identify a solid material’s characteristic leaching behavior. Furthermore the LEAF approach provides the ability to make meaningful comparisons of leaching between similar and dissimilar materials from national and worldwide origins.