Characterization of Drywall Products for Assessing Impacts Associated with End-Of-Life Management
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
EPA/600/R-20/286 | August 202 0 www.epa.gov/research Characterization of Drywall Products for Assessing Impacts Associated with End-of-Life Management Office of Research and Development Homeland Security Research Program EPA/600/R-20/286 September 2020 Characterization of Drywall Products for Assessing Impacts Associated with End-of- Life Management by Xiaolan Huang Ph.D. Pegasus Technical Services Inc. Cincinnati, Ohio EP-C-15-010 Thabet Tolaymat Ph.D. Homeland Security and Materials Management Division Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response Cincinnati, Ohio, 45268 ii Notice/Disclaimer Statement The preparation of this report was supported by funding by the Office of Research and Development of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under contract numbers EP-C-15-010 with Pegasus Technical Services Inc. This report has been subject to both internal and external Agency review and has been approved for publication as an EPA document. iii Foreword The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged by Congress with protecting the Nation's land, air, and water resources. Under a mandate of national environmental laws, the Agency strives to formulate and implement actions leading to a compatible balance between human activities and the ability of natural systems to support and nurture life. To meet this mandate, EPA's research program is providing data and technical support for solving environmental problems today and building a science knowledge base necessary to manage our ecological resources wisely, understand how pollutants affect our health, and prevent or reduce environmental risks in the future. The Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response (CESER) within the Office of Research and Development (ORD) conducts applied, stakeholder-driven research and provides responsive technical support to help solve the Nation’s environmental challenges. The Center’s research focuses on innovative approaches to address environmental challenges associated with the built environment. We develop technologies and decision-support tools to help safeguard public water systems and groundwater, guide sustainable materials management, remediate sites from traditional contamination sources and emerging environmental stressors, and address potential threats from terrorism and natural disasters. CESER collaborates with both public and private sector partners to foster technologies that improve the effectiveness and reduce the cost of compliance while anticipating emerging problems. We provide technical support to EPA regions and programs, states, tribal nations, and federal partners, and serve as the interagency liaison for EPA in homeland security research and technology. The Center is a leader in providing scientific solutions to protect human health and the environment. Gregory Sayles, Director Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response iv Table of Contents Notice/Disclaimer Statement ................................................................................................................... iii Table of Figures ....................................................................................................................................... vi Table of Tables ....................................................................................................................................... viii Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................................................... ix Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. xi 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 2. Materials and Methods ...................................................................................................................... 3 2.1. Sample Collection and Preparation ......................................................................................... 3 2.2. Drywall Characterization ........................................................................................................ 3 2.2.1. Moisture content........................................................................................ 3 2.2.2. Total carbon and sulfur content by combustion ........................................ 4 2.2.3. Organic compounds in drywall ................................................................. 4 2.2.4. X-ray diffraction (XRD) Analysis ............................................................ 6 2.2.5. Total metals by EPA Method 3051A and acidic extraction ...................... 6 2.2.6. Cumulative water-soluble SO4 and metals ................................................ 8 2.3. Drywall Leaching Behavior .................................................................................................... 8 2.3.1. Leaching processing kinetics .................................................................... 8 2.3.2. Liquid-solid partitioning as a function of liquid-to-solid ratio in solid materials – USEPA Method 1316 ........................................................................................... 8 2.3.3. Mass transfer rates –EPA Method 1315.................................................... 9 2.4. Statistical Analysis ................................................................................................................ 11 2.5. Quality Metrics ...................................................................................................................... 11 3. Physical and Chemical Properties ................................................................................................... 14 3.1. Moisture Content ................................................................................................................... 14 3.2. Total Sulfur and Carbon Content .......................................................................................... 17 3.3. Trace Organic Compounds.................................................................................................... 21 3.4. Crystalline Mineral Phases .................................................................................................... 22 3.5. Total Acid Extractable Sulfur and Metals ............................................................................. 23 3.6. Water-Extractable Sulfur and Metals .................................................................................... 41 4. Leaching Behavior of Drywall ........................................................................................................ 48 4.1. Kinetics of Leaching Processing ........................................................................................... 48 4.2. Liquid-Solid Partitioning Tests ............................................................................................. 57 4.3. Monolithic Leaching Tests (MLs)......................................................................................... 75 5. Conclusions...................................................................................................................................... 85 5.1. Drywall Characteristics ......................................................................................................... 85 5.2. Leaching Behavior of Drywall .............................................................................................. 86 6. References .......................................................................................................................................... 88 v Table of Figures Figure 3-1: WLOI of gypsum of drywall board........................................................................................ 15 Figure 3-2: Distribution of Formaldehyde content in drywall board ........................................................ 22 Figure 3-3: Typical XRD pattern of gypsum of drywall board ................................................................ 23 Figure 3-4: Distribution of the macro-elements in the gypsum from drywall. The box-and-whisker plots show the following: the minimum value, the 25th quartile, the median, the 75th quartile, the maximum value. ................................................................................................................................ 25 Figure 3-5: Distribution of the micro-elements in the gypsum from drywall. The box-and-whisker plots show the following: the minimum value, the 25th quartile, the median, the 75th quartile, the maximum value. ................................................................................................................................ 26 Figure 3-6: Positive correlations among elements in the gypsum from drywall ...................................... 28 Figure 3-7: Effect of dilution temperature on the relative metal content of gypsum from drywall ......... 28 Figure 3-8: Effect of extraction time on the calcium, sulfur and strontium content in gypsum from drywall ............................................................................................................................................... 31 Figure 3-9: Effect of extraction time on the other components in gypsum from drywall ........................ 32 Figure 3-10: Calcium and sulfur content in the gypsum from drywall by three methods ........................ 33 Figure 3-11: Al, Si, Fe, Ti, Mg, K and Na (mg kg-1)