Materials analysis
In WESSLING laboratories, you will test samples of materials as well as aggregates and railroad crushed stone for the presence of contaminants, including the presence of asbestos fibers. The equipment in our laboratories allows for the quantitative and qualitative identification of asbestos fibers.
WESSLING offers physicochemical tests of samples of homogeneous and heterogeneous materials, including tests of aggregates and railway crushed stone.
Aggregate
Natural aggregate is obtained from the bottom of lakes and rivers or from sand and gravel mines. Artificial aggregate of mineral origin is created by interfering with the material. It is obtained by recycling or thermal treatment. We can also distinguish organic aggregate, made of plastics, wood chips, shavings and sawdust, and aggregate from industrial waste.
Why are aggregates tested?
Aggregate is a loose material with a wide range of applications. It is used in many construction works, including road construction material. Before using aggregate in road construction, it is worth making an ecological opinion, which, based on the results of laboratory analyzes, will check whether the aggregate may have properties hazardous to the environment and human health and life.
Another example of the use of aggregate is its use as a ballast ballast in a railway track. Guided by the considerations of rational material management and environmental protection, the ballast intended for removal from the tracks is often reused - depending on the degree of its contamination. If the contaminants contained therein prevent its re-use, it should be deposited in an appropriate landfill. In the WESSLING laboratory, we perform physicochemical tests to determine whether the aggregate contains hazardous substances, and if it needs to be stored, we conduct leaching tests.
Asbestos
Asbestos is the trade name for six naturally occurring fibrous minerals. Due to their physicochemical properties, such as resistance to low and high temperatures, chemical and biological factors, as well as insulation properties and a relatively low price, they became very popular and were widely used by people, mainly in construction.
Which products may contain asbestos?
Products that may contain asbestos fibers include:
- roofing: asbestic tile and roofing felt,
- floor coverings, PVC tiles,
- facade and balcony panels,
- glaziers’ putty,
- adhesives, plasters, fillers,
- small household appliances: irons, cooktops, accumulation stoves,
- pipes for water supply and sewage systems,
- ventilation and chimney ducts.
Why is asbestos dangerous?
Asbestos is a threat due to its fibrous structure, which, on the one hand, allowed people to take advantage of the very good performance properties of this material, and on the other, turned out to be deadly to their health. Asbestos fibers entering the human body during breathing remain permanently in the lungs, contributing to the development of diseases such as:
- asbestosis (asbestosis),
- lung cancer,
- pleural mesothelioma.
Asbestos fibers are released into the air as a result of mechanical processing, e.g. breaking, rubbing, crushing, cutting, etc., as well as due to the action of weather conditions. The older and more damaged an asbestos roof is, the more fibers escape from it. A very high risk also appears during the disassembly of asbestos products, which easily crumble or break. Therefore, it can only be dealt with by properly trained and authorized companies.
Asphalt millings waste
At the beginning of 2022, the Regulation of the Minister of Climate and Environment of 23 December 2021 on the specification of detailed conditions for ending the status of waste for asphalt millings waste entered into force. The introduced regulations define the conditions under which asphalt millings waste will cease to be treated as waste. This is to facilitate its use in road construction, so that there is no doubt about its quality and its correct and safe use.
Asphalt millings waste is an asphalt mix code 17 03 02, obtained by cold milling asphalt layers, crushing plates of cut asphalt pavement or lumps obtained from these plates. It is also rejects or surpluses generated in the production of asphalt mix.
WESSLING Poland carries out tests of asphalt millings waste to confirm its compliance with the requirements of the ordinance specifying the loss of waste conditions for asphalt millings.
Possibilities of using asphalt millings
Asphalt destruct is used as a construction material in construction: for the construction, reconstruction or renovation of roads and airport infrastructure, including runways, taxiways, airport lanes and aprons.
OUR OFFER
At WESSLING, we perform physicochemical tests of cohesive and non-cohesive materials for the presence of contaminants, including:
- Physicochemical tests of aggregate and railway crushed stone for the presence of contaminants such as: metals, mercury, PAHs, mineral oil index (concentration of C10 - C40 hydrocarbons), concentration of C12 - C35 hydrocarbons (components of the oil fraction) and leaching tests, allowing the contaminated aggregate to be put into storage on a suitable landfill,
- Tests of asbestos in soil, water, air and material samples using electron microscopy to quantify the fiber content and qualitatively identify the type of fibers, such as serpentines (chrysotile) and amphiboles (crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite).
- Tests of samples of asphalt millings waste for the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including the content of benzo(a)pyrene and testing of sample leachate for the content of inorganic compounds, metals and COD according to the Regulation of the Minister of Climate and Environment of 23 December 2021 on defining detailed end-of-waste conditions for asphalt millings waste.
Contact us to find out about the details of our offer.
