Pressing-Drill Method – A Representative Method for Taking Analysis Samples from Recycled Materials
At Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences a new method – the “pressing-drill method” – has been developed for sampling recycled materials. The materials are compressed to transform them from a loose heap into a form enabling random selection of samples. The press-bore method is suitable for representative sampling of heterogeneous material systems with low bulk density, consisting of particles < 40 mm in size. It has been proven that errors can be substantially reduced compared with the standard methods (dividing cross, sample splitters) used in common practice. The first results of tests on model mixes and real recycled material mixes confirm this approach.
1. Starting Situation
Proper sampling and analytical evaluation of waste as heterogeneous as, for example, waste-derived fuels are a concern for both producers and recyclers. To ensure economic and environmentally friendly recycling of these materials, a very precise knowledge of their composition is necessary. This problem has already been investigated for many years now by numerous institutes, which have adopted different methodical approaches, ranging from “indiscriminate” to scientifically founded methods. With the conventional methods using dividing crosses and sample splitters, great...
