Personnel

SET-Houston's laboratory is staffed by experienced, degreed chemists. Additional laboratory and analytical support is provided by SET's laboratory staff in Wheeling, Illinois.

Equipment

The SET-Houston lab is equipped with an infrared spectrophotometer, flashpoint tester, a bomb calorimeter, halogen analyzers, muffle furnace, pH meter, Karl Fischer titration unit, Atomic Absorption Unit, hydrometer, and centrifuge. The SET-Wheeling lab is equipped with an FT-IR microscope, infrared spectrophotometer, and gas chromatograph/mass spectrophotometer.

Waste Analysis

A minimum of ten percent of the containers are sampled for each wastestream in a shipment, although SET typically takes a composite sample of 100 percent of the containers. The sample is then analyzed to verify that wastes received are those described on the wastestream profile. Depending on the type of waste, wastestreams will be analyzed for % water, flashpoint, pH, BTU, % halide, ppm fluoride, specific gravity, reactive sulfide, reactive cyanide, suspended solids, dissolved solids, % ash, ppm sodium, ppm potassium, and qualitative test for peroxide and oxidizer characteristics. Lab packs are unpacked and checked for conformance with approved lab pack inventories.

If the waste stream or lab pack does not conform to previously approved paperwork, SET will contact the generator in an effort to resolve the discrepancy. If the discrepancy requires further investigation, SET will conditionally accept the waste if authorized by the generator until further analysis can be conducted. If the discrepancy cannot be resolved (this rarely occurs), the waste will be returned to the generator.