This document specifies a method for the quantitative determination of the hydrocarbon content (C10 to C40) in solid waste by gas chromatography.
It is applicable to hydrocarbon content between 100 mg/kg and 10 000 mg/kg expressed as dry matter basis.
Using this standard all hydrocarbons with a boiling range of approximately 175 °C to 525 °C, e.g. n-alkanes from C10H22 to C40H82, isoalkanes, cycloalkanes, alkyl benzenes, alkyl naphthalenes and polycyclic aromatic compounds are determined as hydrocarbons, provided they do not adsorb on the Florisil column during clean-up. Volatile hydrocarbons cannot be quantitatively determined using this standard. This will affect the determination of some common hydrocarbon fuels, e.g. petrol.
NOTE 1 On the basis of the peak pattern of the gas chromatogram (see Annex A) and of the boiling points of the individual n-alkanes listed in Annex B the approximate boiling range of the hydrocarbons and some qualitative information on the nature of the hydrocarbons can be obtained.
NOTE 2 At the moment there is no sufficient information on how to handle organic liquid wastes for the analysis of hydrocarbons.
NOTE 3 Aqueous liquid waste samples can be analysed in accordance with EN ISO 9377-2 or the procedure specified in Annex E.