Laboratory of Solid Waste Analyses is a part of the Department of Environment Engineering operating within the framework of the Central Mining Institute existing for more than 65 years. Long-term practice in research of the environment state, competent and experienced staff, application of the principles of professional laboratory practice and modern research infrastructure enabled to implement in 1997 management requirements and to confirm technical competence in the scope of the PN-EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard, as the first Polish waste analyses laboratory.
have been confirmed by laboratory accreditation certificate No. AB 145
The Laboratory operates within the structure of the Central Mining Institute, where the Integrated Management System of quality, environment and health and safety is implemented in accordance with the requirements of standards PN-ISO 9001, PN-N-18001 and PN-EN ISO 14001. The Laboratory performs tests using measuring and research apparatus meeting the requirements of these management systems.
The Laboratory of Solid Waste Analyses carries out research activities funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, associated with the development of new test procedures used in the analysis of solid waste and alternative fuels. Research activities within the framework of projects financed by the European Union are also carried out.
The Laboratory performs, as service works, over 2000 physical-chemical analyses of solid material a year meeting the requirements of customers from the mining, energy, construction, road construction, food, pharmaceutical industries, environmental protection services and others. The Laboratory also offers testing of hazardous or potentially hazardous waste, along with the opinion of the possibility of their requalification.
The Laboratory carries out tests on the determination of inorganic pollutants content harmful to health and environment:
- power industry
- wastes (slugs, fly ash‚ desulphurization ash),
- metallurgical wastes (slags),
- mineral wastes (gangue, post-processing wastes),
- moulding sands,
- construction rubble,
- industrial and municipal sewage sludge,
- lacquer, post-galvanic and other wastes,
- joints,
- atmospheric dusts, soils, grounds and other environmental tests;
- drains with dust absorbed from the air;
- hard coals, lignite, briquettes, alternative fuels and others;
- articles and foodstuffs, herbal products.
The Laboratory performs research accredited by the Polish Centre for Accreditation:
- analytical and total moisture and dry matter content,
- ash content and roasting loss,
- percentage of nitrogen, chlorine, chlorides, mercury, sulphur, hydrogen, total carbon, organic and inorganic carbon,
- heat of combustion and calorific value,
- chemical composition in the oxide form: SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO, MgO, Na2O, K2O, SO3, TiO2, P2O5,
- contents of trace elements (As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Zn),
- free CaO content,
- and leaching tests of:
- chloride, sulphate, sodium and potassium, ammonium nitrogen ions,
- pH of water extract,
- chemical oxygen demand (COD), permanganate index
- trace element concentrations (As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Zn).
Tests not covered by the PCA accreditation:
- determination of grain composition,
- actual density,
- percentage of ash, flammable, pyrite, sulphate and organic sulphur,
- content of fluorine and fluorides in water extracts,
- content of stearin,
- concentration and content of trace elements among others. B, Be, V, Sr, Tl,
- concentration of phenols.
