Organic and inorganic contaminants in waste wood

The German Waste Wood Ordinance (AltholzV) defines four different categories of waste wood:

• category A I, natural wood, which has not been painted or treated with wood preservatives,
• category A II, painted wood, without the use of wood preservatives,
• category A III, wood containing halogen organic contaminants without the use of wood preservatives,
• category A IV, wood containing wood preservatives and or other high contamination levels.

PCB containing waste wood (> 50 mg/kg) is to be disposed of separately on a landfill according to directive 96/59/EC and regulation (EU) 2019/1021.

The categories A I - A III are used to produce wood chips for wooden materials if their contaminant levels stay below the limits in annex II of the Waste Wood Ordinance. All four categories except for PCB containing wood can be used to produce synthetic gas or coal.

The scope of P2539-RT is based on annex II of the Waste Wood Ordinance (see parameters below). Laboratories are free to use the analytical methods stated in the Waste Wood Ordinance or any other kinds of suitable methods. The participants are asked to specify the applied analytical methods, which are summarised in the report.

A sample of wood with or without contamination is milled and spiked with a selection of the parameters mentioned below. The concentration levels are in the typical range of waste wood.

The threshold values according to annex II of the Waste Wood Ordinance as well as the draft of the German Environment Agency (UBA 95/2020) might serve as a guidance for e.g. the required LOQs.

P2538-RT covers

• the moisture content,
• heavy metals and toxic metals,
• chlorine and fluorine,
• PCP and 6 PCBs, 

as well as the additional parameters:

• ash content,
• gross calorific value and calculated net calorific value. 

The aim of this ring test is the quantification with respect to

• the comparability criterion (z-score), and
• the trueness criterion (70 - 120 % recovery of the spiked level, spiked parameters only).