♻️ Biomass content (biodegradable fraction) of solid recovered fuels — 14C method, selective dissolution and manual sorting, PN-EN ISO 21644

Petrochemistry PN-EN ISO 21644

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. The scope from the PKN catalogue card, quoted in full: "This document specifies three methods for the determination of the biomass content in solid recovered fuels: the 14C content method, selective dissolution and manual sorting methods." (our translation of the Polish card). The Estonian EVS (read on 29 September 2026) gives for EVS-EN ISO 21644:2021 a description naming two methods — selective dissolution and the 14C content method — and "the criteria for choosing the more appropriate method and some examples of application"; we did not have the text of the standard, so WE DO NOT DECIDE the difference between these descriptions. In accreditation scopes "Annex B" (at several laboratories with clause B7, at AB 687 with B.7 and B.9) always stands with selective dissolution by the gravimetric method; what these clauses cover in the standard we do not know.

STATUS (state of the card on 29 September 2026). The card of PN-EN ISO 21644:2021-07 (English version) has no withdrawal note — the standard is CURRENT. Published 01-07-2021, 58 pages, PKN technical committee KT 144 (Coke and Processed Solid Fuels), ICS 75.160.10; "Introduces: EN ISO 21644:2021 [IDT], ISO 21644:2021 [IDT]"; "Supersedes: PN-EN 15440:2011/AC:2011 - English version, PN-EN 15440:2011 - English version". EVS: "Valid from 01.02.2021", title with the note "ISO 21644:2021, Corrected version 2021-03"; in the history EVS-EN 15440:2011 with corrigendum AC:2011.

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, data up to 17 September 2026, read on 28 September 2026). All records of number 21644: 30 entries at 14 laboratories. Forms: "PN-EN ISO 21644:2021-07" without a note — AB 054, AB 325 and AB 829; with a note on the annex — "wg zał. B" (according to Annex B; AB 300, AB 743), "annex B" (AB 213), "Aneks B, pkt 7" (AB 418), "Aneks B, p. B.7 i B.9" (AB 687), "pkt B7" or "pkt. B7" (AB 081, AB 981), "aneks B pkt. B7" (AB 949, AB 688); "PN-EN ISO 21644" without the year — AB 054 and AB 550 (at AB 550 with "zał. B" and together with the withdrawn PN-EN 15440:2011 "wg zał. A"); "PN-EN 21644:2021-07" without "ISO" — AB 005 (so also in its PCA scope). The "Laboratories" tab searches for records BEGINNING with "PN-EN ISO 21644" and will show 13 laboratories — checked with the tab query on the labcoda.pl production server on 29 September 2026: 13; AB 005 remains outside it (under "PN-EN 21644" — 1).

CURRENT PCA SCOPES (read on 29 September 2026, issues from 29 November 2024 to 22 September 2026). All entries stand in the valid issues, every pair of range numbers from the copy appears in the current document and no entry is suspended; AB 054 and AB 949 have footnotes in their scopes on the suspension of other entries, not these. The full records of the reference documents agree with the copy.

TECHNIQUE AND MATRICES. Selective dissolution, gravimetric method — 13 laboratories; the 14C isotope content method by liquid scintillation counting (LSC) — AB 054 and AB 829; at AB 550 also the total carbon of the non-biodegradable fraction by high-temperature combustion with IR detection (with PN-EN ISO 21663) and the calorific value of the biodegradable fraction "z obliczeń" (from calculations). Nobody records manual sorting. Object: solid recovered fuels (SRF) and wastes — most; solid biomass and solid biofuels — seven laboratories (AB 054, AB 081, AB 687, AB 688, AB 743, AB 949, AB 981; at AB 688, AB 949 and AB 981 biomass only); plastics and packaging materials — AB 054 (14C, together with PN-EN 16640:2017+AC:2017-08). The title and the card speak of solid recovered fuels; whether solid biomass and plastics fall within it — WE DO NOT DECIDE.

RANGES. Mass fraction of biomass in percent: lower limits from 5 (AB 054, AB 213, AB 325) through 10.0 (AB 081 for recovered fuels, AB 300, AB 418), 20.0 (AB 054 for wastes by selective dissolution, AB 687, AB 829), 25 (AB 054 for wastes by the 14C method) and 40.0 (AB 743 for recovered fuels) to 70.0 (AB 081 for biomass, AB 688, AB 949, AB 981) and 87.0 (AB 743 for biomass); upper limits from 70.0 (AB 300, AB 418), 90.0 (AB 213) and 95.0 (AB 743 for recovered fuels) to 99.0–100. AB 005 records (1.80 – 89.50) % jointly for the biodegradable and the non-biodegradable fraction; AB 081 gives next to the biomass range a "non-biomass" range of (0.1 – 20.0) % and (0.1 – 90.0) %; AB 054 for wastes by selective dissolution — (20.0 – 100) % and (0.1 – 65.0) %; AB 550 — without a range.

ALONGSIDE THIS STANDARD. For the biomass content (biodegradable fraction) the scopes cite alongside it: the withdrawn PN-EN 15440:2011 — AB 550 (in the same entries, "wg zał. A"); PN-EN 16640:2017+AC:2017-08 — AB 054 (plastics and packaging); PN-EN ISO 21663 — AB 550 (total carbon). Without this standard: the general record "Normy" (standards) for the biomass content of recovered fuels — AB 1095; procedure SW/ZLGIG/PB-14 for the biodegradable fraction of solid biofuels — AB 005; procedure PB-LL-29 with the carbon isotope method for liquid fuels and liquid biofuels — AB 054. Other standards for solid recovered fuels have separate entries in this knowledge base, among others PN-EN ISO 21660-3 (moisture), PN-EN ISO 21656 (ash) and PN-EN ISO 21654 (calorific value).

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard — PKN sells it (58 pages). We do not give the reagents and conditions of selective dissolution, the course of manual sorting, the 14C measurement, the criteria for choosing the method, the equations or the precision.

Method principle

According to the card of the standard, the biomass content of solid recovered fuels is determined by one of three methods: from the content of the carbon isotope 14C, by selective dissolution or by manual sorting. In accreditation scopes selective dissolution with a gravimetric determination (Annex B) predominates; two laboratories measure 14C by liquid scintillation. We DO NOT GIVE the conditions of the methods — we did not have the text of the standard.

Applications

• Share of biomass in solid recovered fuels (SRF) and wastes — in the scopes of 14 laboratories
• Solid biomass and solid biofuels — seven laboratories apply the standard beyond its title
• Plastics and packaging materials — AB 054, 14C method together with PN-EN 16640

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN ISO 21644:2021-07 (wersja angielska; wprowadza EN ISO 21644:2021 [IDT] i ISO 21644:2021 [IDT])

Title (PL)

Stałe paliwa wtórne — Metody oznaczania zawartości biomasy

Title (EN)

Solid recovered fuels — Methods for the determination of biomass content

Step-by-step procedure

1. Status of the document

   PKN card: PN-EN ISO 21644:2021-07 is current and replaced PN-EN 15440:2011 (state of the card on 29 September 2026).

2. Choice of method

   One of the three methods from the card: 14C, selective dissolution, manual sorting; selection criteria NOT GIVEN.

3. Determination

   In the scopes: selective dissolution with a gravimetric determination (Annex B) or 14C measurement by liquid scintillation; conditions NOT GIVEN.

4. Result

   Mass fraction of biomass (biodegradable fraction), at some laboratories also of non-biomass "from calculations".

Required equipment and apparatus

Health and safety (OHS)

• NOTE ON SUBSTANCE: results of selective dissolution and of the 14C method need not agree — when asking about a test, ask about the method and how the result is expressed
• NOTE ON SUBSTANCE: AB 550 cites the withdrawn PN-EN 15440:2011 ("wg zał. A") alongside this standard

Frequently asked questions