My question is, is there a field TCLP analysis that can be used to facilite the excavation?
My concern is that the 16 hours required for TCLP would slow the whole process down. A.To the best of our knowledge, there is no way around the TCLP extraction time. The problem is not from the lead analysis but rather the TCLP extraction that simulates leaching in acidic conditions. A weak acid (Acetic acid) is added to a weighed sample and the solid sample is spun for 18 + 2 hours in an appropriate container (depending on the analyses proposed on the extract). The 18-hour spin time is crucial to the extraction and can’t be avoided. A question we would pose is why not use x-ray flourescence (XRF) to guide excavation in near real-time and then segregate waste piles based on the “20 times rule.” The “20 times rule” is a way to correlate a totals concentration with a worst-case TCLP concentration. A description is attached. The 20 times rule concentration for lead is 100 mg/kg, where the total lead concentration is 20 times the TCLP limit of 5 mg/L. Use of this could expedite the excavat
