J.J. Dijkstra : "New methodology to better predict “leaching” from contaminated materials"

Materials such as contaminated soils and ashes from waste incineration are increasingly re-used in construction, for instance in sound barriers and road embankments. The environmental risk of these materials depends on the extent to which contaminants may be released by “leaching”, i.e. their release to, for instance, rainwater. This thesis describes the development of a new approach that leads to an improved prediction of leaching processes compared to previous methods. The approach makes use of calculation models that are based on the fundamental physicochemical processes that cause leaching, in combination with specific laboratory tests to estimate the necessary model parameters. Due to its fundamental nature, the approach has been shown to lead both to improved model predictions and a wider applicability to materials with very different properties. Applications of the approach range from the improvement of the environmental quality of waste materials to the development of realistic regulatory limits for the safe re-use of contaminated materials as a construction product.

Title thesis: "A consistent geochemical modelling approach for leaching and reactive transport processes in contaminated materials"