EVALUATION OF BY-PRODUCTS INTENDED FOR RECOVERY RECYCLING

Characterization Processes:

Evaluate your materials for:

• Land Application
• Biogas Anaerobic Digestion
• Composting
• Green Manuring
• Product Formulation

• Compositional Reports
• Inerts Characterization
• Sorts Classification Studies
• Environmental Compliance
• Microbiological Hygiene
  
  
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Send Questions and comments to: lab@woodsend.org

Click here: for a Cost Schedule of Analysis

Obtain our: Analysis Interpretation Guideline

Standard Analysis:
This is the basic test designed for those who want to get a picture of the composition of ROM (recycled organic matter), natural residues, manures, compost ingredients, anaerobic-digester (AD) output, or other recovered products.

The Standard test provides basic factors including moisture and solids, bulk density, pH, Carbon:Nitrogen ratio (C:N), EC conductivity, total nitrogen, volatile solids, stability, presence of carbonates.

Materials (Waste) Sort and Characterization:
A basic and full level sort-characterization process for MSW, Green waste, Biowaste and other recycled products.

Typical sort groups include:

• paper
• hard-plasic,
• soft-plastic
• foil
• metal
• textiles
• stones, bones
• food scrap, wood.

We have large capacity ovens for rapidly dessicating large quantities of waste sort subsamples. We also perform category cleanliness characterization, i.e. to determine percentage non-target materials contained in a recycled group, normally in the 2 - 10mm fraction.

Refined Material Quality:

A series of optical, infrared and scanning-electron microscopy evaluations of fragments from recycled products.

Metals Scan (standard and EPA-503):

The metal group is broken into 2 categories: "standard-8" - Iron, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Manganese, Nickel, Zinc and Cadmium and the additional required EPA solid waste metals: Arsenic, Selenium, Molybdenum, Mercury.

Interpretation according to INternational standards.

LAB SAMPLE CONTAINER SHIPMENT PROGRAM : We will supply coolers equipped with  ice-packs, bags and chain-of-custody forms to anyone requesting it. Contact Woods End at lab@woodsend.org or 207 293 2457 ext. 22 for more information.

Biological Stability Tests

Woods End performs several biotests suitable for a variety of wastes and waste-products. The tests are designed to fine tune composting and fermentation processes, aid in end-use product design or to comply with environmental requirements.

Included: biogas potential, stability by CO2-respiration, Solvita or other choice of methods, DRI, DR4.

See our section on STABILITY testing.

-Total Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA)

Woods End has a specialized service to evaluate VFA content. The set of procedures determines the quantity of short-chain (C2-C6) fatty-acids resulting from spoilage and aero-tolerant fermentation. VFA's are principal components of odors in fresh putrescible wastes and are important precursors for methane-biogas biofermentation.

Many fresh organic residues especially food scraps contain appreciable quantities of VFA. High concentrations can inhibit early composting and in some cases retard fermentation of methane.

VFA's are ultimately responsible for plant toxicity if not destroyed during fermentaion/digestion or composting.

Woods End has developed standards and procedures to interpret these conditions.

For background material we offer a published report on VFA cycles in waste VFA-CSU. See also our link to PHYTOTOXICITY testing. The September 2006 cover story featuring Woods End work on Biogas/Composting Co-Treatment is available. <BIOGAS COTREATMENT>

-Hygiene, Microbiology, Bacteria Identification

The microbiological quality of products derived from ROM - recycled organic matter - is of great and increasing significance for modern society, whic is increasingly reducing landfilling and approaching zero-waste- where virtually all products will be recovered and re-used.

With increasing emphasis on use of recycled wastes in farming systems, hygiene effects need to be carefully evaluated. Woods End offers a full set of microbiological procedures to enable proper evaluation.