Under the EN ISO 21644:2021 standard, the biomass content of SRF is determined by either of these methods – carbon-14 analysis, selective dissolution method, or manual sorting. Biomass fraction results are expressed by carbon content, by mass, or by energy content (gross or net calorific value).
The biomass content of SRF is relevant when evaluating the impact of energy production on greenhouse gas emissions.
The EN ISO 21644 standard was prepared by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 300 in collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee 343. This standard was approved by the CEN in November 2020 and was published in January 2021.
For more details, including sample preparation recommendations, please buy the standard:
BS EN ISO 21644:2021: Solid recovered fuels – Methods for the determination of biomass content
Note: Beta Analytic only provides BS EN ISO 21644 testing by carbon-14 analysis.
Solid recovered fuels (SRF) are a heterogeneous group of fuels produced from non-hazardous waste, e.g. municipal solid waste, construction and demolition waste, sewage sludge, etc. According to EN ISO 21640:2021, SRFs are produced to be used for energy purposes at the highest possible energy efficiency.
The main expected end-users of SRF in most European countries are energy-intensive facilities such as cement and lime kilns or coal-fired power plants. Another area where development of the use of SRF is foreseen is the thermochemical recycling of waste (IEA Bioenergy, 2020).
ISO 17025-accredited Beta Analytic offers two services for its high-quality carbon-14 testing in accordance with EN ISO 21644:
For SRF, please send at least 5 grams (25 grams maximum) per sample. We will subsample the submitted material in a quantity reasonable for the analytical method.
The Miami-based lab has several forwarding offices around the world for the submission of non-hazardous samples. Please contact us before sending samples to receive shipping instructions applicable to your region. All hazardous samples should be sent directly to the lab’s headquarters in Florida, following De Minimis Shipping guidelines.
Page last updated: July 2021
