CEN 15440: The Precursor of CEN 15747
- CEN 15440 was developed for biomass content determination of solid recovered fuels
- Methods based on carbon 14 analysis are part of prCEN/TS 15440 (revises CEN/TS 15440:2006) expected to be published in 2010
- Beta Analytic provides carbon 14 analysis according to CEN 15747 and prCEN/TS 15440
The Comite Europeen de Normalisation (European Committee for Standardization), or CEN, has published a technical standard in 2006 that deals with the determination of biomass content in solid recovered fuels. The CEN/TS 15440:2006 outlined three methods: selective dissolution method, manual sorting, and the reductionistic method.
CEN Working Group 343 responsible for creating standards for solid recovered fuels is in the final stage of developing the prCEN/TS 15440, a revised version of the 2006 standard. The prCEN/TS 15440 no longer includes the reductionistic method and has added 3 methods based on carbon 14 analysis for determining the biomass or biogenic carbon content of SRF. The carbon 14 content of SRF can be measured via Proportional Scintillation Method (PSM), Beta Ionisation (BI), or Accelerated Mass Spectrometry (AMS). The prCEN/TS 15440 also includes an example of how to convert the biogenic carbon content to biomass energy.
CEN/TS 15440:2006 Methods
The selective dissolution method (SDM) is based on the reaction of biomass in a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. The method fails if the SRF sample has biomass components that are insoluble in sulfuric acid or fossil-based components that are soluble in the acid.
The manual sorting method entails visual inspection, thus it is ineffective when the SRF components are shredded finely or compressed.
The reductionistic method involves calculations using the calorific value of the biomass and non-biomass components of SRF.
Carbon 14 Methods
The inherent limitations in the CEN 15440 methods led to the development of a technical report, the CEN/TR 15591, dealing with biomass content determination via carbon-14 analysis. This technical report in turn led to the publication of the CEN/TS 15747 in 2008.
CEN 15747 resembles ASTM D6866 in that it uses radiocarbon dating to determine the biomass content of SRF. CEN 15747 is now used by the European Union Emission Trading Scheme to monitor refuse-derived fuels.
The CEN recommends (a) SDM as reference method for the determination of biomass by weight and calorific value, and (b) radiocarbon dating when determining percent biomass by carbon content.
Sampling Standard for CEN 15440
The standards to be used for solid recovered fuels are:
- EN 15442 and EN 15443 - Sampling, transport, storage of the solid recovered fuel and sample preparation in the field
- EN 15413 - Preparation of the test sample (lab sample)
Beta Analytic Provides prCEN/TS 15440 Testing
Beta Analytic, an ISO 17025-accredited lab based in Miami, Florida, provides carbon 14 analysis according to prCEN/TS 15440 but not selective dissolution method or manual sorting. The company deals exclusively with radiocarbon dating-based methods. It has an office in London, UK, for the convenience of its European clients.
European Committee for Standardization
CEN develops standards and other technical specifications that become the national standards in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
