ASTM_D_5525_-_94a_scan.pdf

It)$Designation:D 5525-94a AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MAERIALS 1916 Race St.Phiiadelphia,Pa 19103 If not listed in the current combined inder,will appear in the ne edirion.Reprinted from the Annual Rook of ASTM Standards.Copyright A S M Standard Practice for Exposing Plastics to a Simulated Active Landfill Environment This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 5525;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of original adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.A superscript epsilon IC)indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope 1.1 This practice covers the exposure of plastics to a specific test environment.The test environment is a labora-tory-scale reactor that simulates a landfill with enhanced biological activity.Biological activity is enhanced by adding moisture,recirculating leachate,and heating to 35C.Plastic exposure occurs in the presence of a media undergoing anaerobic degradation.The standard media used in the practice simulates a municipal solid-waste stream.The practice allows for the use of other media to represent particular waste streams.This practice provides exposed specimens for further testing and for comparison with controls.This test environment does not necessarily repro-duce conditions that could occur in a particular landfill.1.2 Changes in the material properties of the plastic and controls should be determined using appropriate ASTM test procedures.Changes could encompass physical and chemical changes such as disintegration and degradation.1.3 This practice may be used for different purposes.The interested parties therefore must select the following:expo-sure conditions from those allowed by this practice;criteria for a valid exposure,that is,minimum or maximum change requirements for the simulated landfill environment and controls;and magnitudes of material properties changes required for the plastic specimens.1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard.The values given in parentheses are for informa-tion only.1.5 This standard does not purport to address all o f the safety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is the responsibility ofthe mer ofthis standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility o f regulatory limitations prior to use.Specific hazards statements are given in Section 8.NOTE 1-There is no similar or equivalent IS0 standard.2.Referenced Documents 2.1 ASTM Standards:D 618 Practice for Conditioning Plastics and Electrical D 638 Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics D 882 Test Methods for Tensile Properties of Thin Plastic D 883 Terminology Relating to Plastics2 Insulating Materials for Testing2 Sheeting This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASThl Committee D-20 on Plastics and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.96 on Environmentally Degradable Plastics.published as D 5525-94.Last previous edition D 5525-94.Current edition approved June 15,1994.Published August 1994.Originally Atltrtrtrl BtJtik tJfAST,%f Srmdardy,vol 08.01.D 1898 Practice for Sampling of Plastics2 D 1922 Test Method for Propagation Tear Resistance of Plastic Film and Thin Sheeting by Pendulum Method D3593 Test Method for Molecular Weight Averages and Molecular Weight Distribution of Certain Polymers by Liquid Size-Exclusion Chromatography (Gel Perme-ation Chromatography-(GPC)Using Universal Calibration3 D 3826 Practice for Determining Degradation End Point in Degradable Polyolefins Using a Tensile Test3 E I196 Test Method for Determining the Anaerobic Biodegradation Potential of Organic Chemicals4 2.2 American Public Health Association Standard:5210 B.5-Day BOD Test5 3.Terminology 3.1 DeJinitions-Definitions of terms applying to this practice appear in Terminology D 883.Definitions in Termi-nology D 883 supersede those presented in this section.3.2 Descriptions o f Terms Specific to This Standard:3.2.1 anaerobic-a life process that occurs in the absence of oxygen (based on Ref(1).6 3.2.2 anaerobic digester sludge-the semi-solid residue from an anaerobic biological reactor at a municipal waste-water treatment system.3.2.3 biological reactor-a vessel in which living organ-isms,usually microorganisms,catalyze a reaction.3.2.4 degradation-the process by which a chemical is reduced to a less complex form(1).3.2.5 disintegration-physical breakup of a solid material.3.2.6 enhanced biological activity-an increased meta-bolic rate resulting from favorable environmental conditions.3.2.7 inoculim-microorganisms placed in a simulated-landfill environment to start or accelerate biological action(1).3.2.8 landfill-a disposal site in which solid waste is spread in layers,compacted to the smallest practical volume,and covered at the end of each operating day (based on Ref(1).3.2.9 leachate-a liquid that results from water collecting contaminants as it trickles