SEDL / STP / STP1240-EB / STP14131S

Bulk Site Reference Materials

Barich, JJ
Environmental Engineer, Office of Research and Development, USEPA, Seattle, WA

Jones, RR
Environmental Scientist, USEPA, Seattle, WA

Pages: 13    Published: Jan 1996

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Abstract

The selection, manufacture and use of Bulk Site Reference Materials (BSRMs) at hazardous waste sites is discussed. BSRMs are useful in preparing stabilization/solidification (S/S) formulations for soils, ranking competing S/S processes, comparing S/S alternatives to other technologies, and in interpreting data from different test types. BSRMs are large volume samples that are representative of the physical and chemical characteristics of a site soil, and that contain contaminants at reasonably high levels. A successful BSRM is extremely homogeneous and well-characterized. While not representative of any point on the site, they contain the contaminants of the site in the matrices of the site. Design objectives for a BSRM are to produce a material that 1) maintains good fidelity to site matrices and contaminants, and 2) exhibits the lowest possible relative standard deviation.