Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF) How-To Guide Understanding the LEAF Approach and How and When to Use It SW-846 Update VI October 2017 NOTICE/DISCLAIMER The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA, or the Agency), through its Office of Land and Emergency Management and Office of Research and Development, funded the preparation of this report under EPA Contract Nos. EP-D-11-006 and EP-W-10-055. This report was subjected to the Agency’s peer and administrative review and was approved for publication as an EPA document. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations do not change or substitute for any statutory or regulatory provisions. This document does not impose legally binding requirements, nor does it confer legal rights, impose legal obligations, or implement any statutory or regulatory provisions. Mention of trade names or commercial products is not intended to constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Authors This document was prepared for the U.S. EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management and Office of Research and Development. This document was prepared and edited by Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG) for EPA under EPA Contracts EP-D-11-006 and EP-W-10-055. The authors of this guide are David S. Kosson (Vanderbilt University), Andrew Garrabrants (Vanderbilt University), Susan Thorneloe (EPA, Office of Research and Development), Daniel Fagnant (EPA, Office of Land and Emergency Management), Greg Helms (EPA, Office of Land and Emergency Management), Katie Connolly (ERG), and Molly Rodgers (ERG). Contributors and reviewers of this guide include Hans van der Sloot (Hans van der Sloot Consultancy, The Netherlands), Schatzi Fitz-James (EPA, Office of Land and Emergency Management), and Paul Lemieux (EPA, Office of Research and Development). Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF) How-To Guide ii Notice/Disclaimer & Acknowledgements Table of Contents NOTICE/DISCLAIMER ............................................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................................................ ii List of Tables .............................................................................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................................................... vii List of Highlight Boxes ............................................................................................................................................................ ix Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................... x Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................................................ xi Key Definitions ........................................................................................................................................................................ xii 1. An Introduction to LEAF and this Guide .............................................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 What is the Purpose of this Guide? ................................................................................................................................. 1-1 1.2 Who Can Benefit from this Guide? .................................................................................................................................. 1-1 1.3 What is LEAF? .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1-2 1.3.1 Why was LEAF Developed? ........................................................................................................... 1-3 1.3.2 Why Perform Leaching Tests? ....................................................................................................... 1-4 1.3.3 When Can LEAF be Used? .............................................................................................................. 1-4 1.4 What Topics Are Covered in this Guide? ..................................................................................................................... 1-5 2. Understanding the Leaching Process ................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 What is Leaching? .................................................................................................................................................................. 2-1 2.2 What is a Source Term? ....................................................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.3 What is the Available Content of a COPC? ................................................................................................................... 2-2 2.4 How Does Leaching Occur? ................................................................................................................................................ 2-2 2.4.1 The Extent of Leaching Through Liquid-Solid Partitioning (LSP).................................................... 2-4 2.4.2 The Rate of Leaching (Mass Transport) ........................................................................................ 2-7 2.4.3 Leachability of a Material in the Field ........................................................................................... 2-7 3. An Overview of LEAF ................................................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.1 U.S. EPA Method 1313: pH-Dependent LSP................................................................................... 3-3 3.1.2 U.S. EPA Method 1314: Percolation Column ................................................................................. 3-5 3.1.3 U.S. EPA Method 1315: Rates of Mass Transfer............................................................................ 3-8 3.1.4 U.S. EPA Method 1316: L/S-Dependent LSP ................................................................................ 3-10 3.1.5 Validation of LEAF Tests .............................................................................................................. 3-12 3.1.6 Relationship between LEAF and Single Point Tests (e.g., TCLP, SPLP) ......................................... 3-13 3.2 Building a Testing Program ............................................................................................................................................ 3-14 3.2.1 Material Collection for Leaching Tests ........................................................................................ 3-15 3.2.2 Analytical Parameters ................................................................................................................. 3-15 3.2.3 Suggested Best Practices for Conducting LEAF Tests .................................................................. 3-16 3.2.4 Quality Assurance/Quality Control .............................................................................................. 3-17 Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF) How-To Guide iii Table of Contents Table of Contents (Continued) 3.3 LEAF Data Management Tools ...................................................................................................................................... 3-21 3.3.1 Laboratory Data and Import Templates ..................................................................................... 3-21 3.3.2 Data Management with LeachXS™ Lite ...................................................................................... 3-22 3.3.3 Pre-Existing Leaching Data ......................................................................................................... 3-24 4. Developing Leaching Evaluations using LEAF ................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Applications of LEAF ............................................................................................................................................................ 4-2 4.1.1 Material Characterization ............................................................................................................. 4-2 4.1.2 Beneficial Use Evaluation .............................................................................................................. 4-3 4.1.3 Treatment Effectiveness ................................................................................................................ 4-3 4.1.4 Miscellaneous Uses ....................................................................................................................... 4-3 4.2 Developing an Assessment Framework ....................................................................................................................... 4-3 4.2.1 A Stepwise Assessment Approach ................................................................................................