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Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework

Development Team

LEAF is a Collaboration


LEAF is the product of over 20 years of collaboration between leading experts in the field of leaching, environmental assessment, and test standardization. The principle research partners include Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, and the Energy Centre of the Netherlands. Additional guidance and support has been provided by ARCADIS-US Inc and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Office of Research and Development and Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.

The primary focus of the LEAF Development Team includes:

  • Standardization of fundamental leaching teset methods based on determination of material-specific leaching characteristics
  • Development of data management tools to facilitate processing of laboratory tests, providing uniform and concise presentation of leaching test results
  • Promotion of rigorous, mechanistic leaching assessment approaches for a wide variety of solid materials, including process wastes, construction materials, mining wastes, in support of environmental decision-making

Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nashville, TN, USA

The Leaching Assessment Research Group, located within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt University, consists of faculty, graduate students, and technical staff focused on the development of next generation methodologies and tools for evaluating and predicting potential impacts to the environment due to leaching from solid materials.

David S. Kosson, Ph.D. – Professor and Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Florence Sanchez, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Rossane C. DeLapp – Lab Manager for the Leaching Assessment Research Group

The Energy Centre of the Netherlands, Petten, the Netherlands

ECN develops high-quality knowledge and technology for the transition to sustainable energy management focusing on energy conservation, sustainable energy and an efficient and clean use of fossil fuels.

Hans van der Sloot, Ph.D. – Senior Scientist, Environmental Risk Assessment (retired – now at Van der Sloot Consultancy, Langedijk, the Netherlands)

Paul Seignette, Ph.D. – Senior Software Engineer, Environmental Risk Assessment

ARCADIS-US, Inc., Durham, NC

ARCADIS is an international company providing consultancy, design, engineering and management services in the fields of infrastructure, water, environment and buildings.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment. One of EPA’s primary goals is to ensure that all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment while promoting national efforts to reduce environmental risk are based on the best available scientific information.

Susan Thorneloe – Senior Chemical Engineer, Office of Research and Development, Atmospheric Pollution Prevention and Control Division, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC

Greg Helms – Senior Environmental Scientist, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Waste Characterization Division, Washington, DC