prEN 16202
(Main)Compost and digestate - Determination of the content of macroscopic impurities and stones
Compost and digestate - Determination of the content of macroscopic impurities and stones
This European Standard specifies a method to determine the macroscopic impurities > 2 mm and stones > 5 mm in compost and digestate. Macroscopic impurities are contaminants not naturally occurring in soil such as pieces of glass, metal, plastics, rubber, cigarette buds etc.) This method is not able to make a distinction between compostable and non-compostable plastics.
Fragments of wood or bark are acceptable constituents of the sample and not classified as macroscopic impurities.
Kompost und Gärreste - Bestimmung des Gehalts an makroskopischen Verunreinigungen und Steinen
Dieses Dokument legt ein Verfahren zur Bestimmung der sichtbaren makroskopischen Verunreinigungen > 2 mm sowie Steinen > 5 mm in Kompost und Gärresten fest. Makroskopische Verunreinigungen sind Kontaminanten, die natürlicherweise nicht in Boden vorkommen, beispielsweise Bruchstücke aus Glas, Metall oder Kunststoff. Mit diesem Verfahren kann nicht zwischen kompostierbarem und nicht kompostierbarem Kunststoff unterschieden werden.
Holz- oder Borkenstücke sind zulässige Bestandteile der Proben und werden nicht als makroskopische Verunreinigungen klassifiziert.
Sicherheitswarnung — Bei der Handhabung von Proben muss vorsichtig vorgegangen werden, da sie scharfe Bruchstücke, chemische Schadstoffe, pathogene Organismen enthalten oder in Staubform vorliegen könnten. Die Handhabung von Proben sollte mit Schutzhandschuhen erfolgen. Bei der Handhabung von staubigen Materialien ist außerdem eine Schutzmaske zu tragen. Bei der Durchführung dieses Verfahrens sollten die national geltenden Sicherheitsbestimmungen berücksichtigt werden.
Compost et digestat - Détermination de la teneur en impuretés macroscopiques et en pierres
Le présent document spécifie une méthode pour déterminer les impuretés macroscopiques visibles > 2 mm et les pierres > 5 mm dans le compost et le digestat. Les impuretés macroscopiques sont des contaminants qui ne se trouvent pas naturellement dans le sol, tels que des morceaux de verre, de métal, de plastiques. Cette méthode n’est pas capable de faire la distinction entre les plastiques compostables et non compostables.
Fragments de bois ou d’écorce sont des constituants acceptables de l’échantillon et ne sont pas classés comme impuretés macroscopiques.
Kompost in digestat - Določanje makroskopskih nečistoč in kamnov
General Information
Relations
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-oktober-2025
Kompost in digestat - Določanje makroskopskih nečistoč in kamnov
Compost and digestate - Determination of the content of macroscopic impurities and
stones
Kompost und Gärreste - Bestimmung des Gehalts an makroskopischen
Verunreinigungen und Steinen
Compost et digestat - Détermination de la teneur en impuretés macroscopiques et en
pierres
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 16202
ICS:
13.030.20 Tekoči odpadki. Blato Liquid wastes. Sludge
13.080.30 Biološke lastnosti tal Biological properties of soils
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
August 2025
ICS 13.030.20; 13.080.30 Will supersede CEN/TS 16202:2013
English Version
Compost and digestate - Determination of the content of
macroscopic impurities and stones
Compost et digestat - Détermination de la teneur en Kompost und Gärreste - Bestimmung des Gehalts an
impuretés macroscopiques et en pierres makroskopischen Verunreinigungen und Steinen
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 223.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.
Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 16202:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Principle . 6
5 Apparatus . 6
6 Procedure . 7
7 Calculations and expression of results. 11
8 Validation of the method . 11
9 Test report . 12
Annex A (informative) Performance characteristics of the method . 13
A.1 Materials used in the interlaboratory study . 13
A.2 Interlaboratory study results . 13
Bibliography. 15
European foreword
This document (prEN 16202:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 223 “Soil
improvers and growing media”, the secretariat of which is held by NEN.
This document is currently submitted to CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede CEN/TS 16202:2013.
In comparison with the previous edition, the following technical modifications have been made:
— soil and sludge have been excluded from the scope of the standard;
— the bleaching step has been excluded from the method.
This document has been prepared under a standardisation request given to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
Introduction
The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has been requested by the European Commission to
draft European standardization deliverables in support of the European Fertilising Product
Regulation (FPR) [1]. The FPR aims to promote an increased use of recycled nutrients to further aid the
development of a circular economy and allow a more resource efficient and general use of nutrients, while
reducing the dependency of nutrients from countries not within the European Union. It lays down rules
on the requirements of different sorts of fertilising products. Fertilising products bearing CE marking
may freely be traded within the European Union.
To enable the market to justify the use of the CE mark, CEN is requested by the European Commission to
develop a series of European Standards described in Standardization Request M/564. These European
Standards will enable the implementation of the FPR; the commercialisation of the soil improvers,
growing media and other fertilising products within the EU Single market; and provide a uniform and
reliable way of assessing the compliance to the requirements laid down in the FPR.
This standard provides a method for the determination of macroscopic impurities in compost and
digestate. Compost and digestate have a maximum acceptable limit of macroscopic impurities. This limit
ensures that the products are fit for use and lowers the risk of injuries when using the material. With this
standard, products can be assessed on the amount of macroscopic impurities it contains.
Safety warning — Care is to be taken when handling samples, since they may contain sharp fragments,
chemical contaminants, pathogenic organisms or be of dusty nature. Samples should be handled with
protective gloves. When handling dusty materials also wear a mask. National safety regulations should
be considered when performing this method.
1 Scope
This document specifies a method to determine the visible macroscopic impurities > 2 mm and stones
> 5 mm in compost and digestate. Macroscopic impurities are contaminants that are not naturally
occurring in soil such as pieces of glass, metal, plastics. This method is not able to make a distinction
between compostable and non-compostable plastics.
Fragments of wood or bark are acceptable constituents of the sample and not classified as macroscopic
impurities.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
CEN/TS 17732:2022, Soil improvers and growing media — Terminology
prEN 13040-1:—, Soil improver and growing media — Sample preparation — Part 1: Sample preparation
for chemical and physical tests, determination of dry matter content, moisture content and laboratory bulk
density
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in CEN/TS 17732:2022 and the
following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
compost
solid particulate material that is the result of a thermophilic aerobic composting of biodegradable matter
by microorganisms, which has been sanitised and stabilised
[SOURCE: CEN/TS 17732:2022, 3.3.4]
3.2
digestate
solid or liquid product that is the result of anaerobic digestion of biodegradable materials by
microorganisms
[SOURCE: CEN/TS 17732:2022, 3.3.5]
3.3
glass
usually transparent, lustrous, hard and brittle material, generally composed of a silicate (such as silicon
oxide, or quartz) combined with an alkali and sometimes other substances
[SOURCE: CEN/TS 17732:2022, 3.7.8.1]
Under preparation. Stage at the time of publication: prEN 13040-1:2025.
3.4
metal
usually crystalline solid of rigid or malleable non-brittle material e.g. steel, iron, copper, lead and tin
Note 1 to entry: Ferrous stones are not considered to be metals and shall be considered as stones.
[SOURCE: CEN/TS 17732:2022, 3.7.8.2, modified — note to entry added]
3.5
plastic
solid material which is usually man-made, oil-based, mouldable when soft, and light in weight
Note 1 to entry: Plastics include both fossil based and biobased plastics.
[SOURCE: CEN/TS 17732:2022, 3.7.8.3, modified — note to entry replaced]
3.6
stone
hard solid non-metallic mineral matter of which rock is made and of a small or moderate size
Note 1 to entry: Expanded clay granules and tableware shards shall be considered as stone.
[SOURCE: CEN/TS 17732:2022, 3.7.8.5, modified — note to entry added]
3.7
test sample
sample prepared from the laboratory sample and from which test portions will be taken
3.8
other impurities
impurities that are not made of glass, metal, plastic or stones, or are composites that cannot be separated
and placed in single categories
Note 1 to entry: Cigarette butts can contain plastic. However, as they are composites that cannot be separated, they
are placed in the category of other impurities.
4 Principle
The particle size of visible macroscopic impurities is determined by their ability to go through the sieve
(mesh size). Macroscopic impurities > 2 mm and stones > 5 mm are determined by mass.
5 Apparatus
5.1 Sample trays, constructed of material thermally stable up to 100 °C, surface approximately
1 250 cm .
5.2 Drying oven, ventilated, fan assisted, capable of holding sample trays at 80 °C ± 5 °C.
5.3 Weighing scale, with an accuracy of 0,1 g (for test sample weighing).
5.4 Weighing scale, with an accuracy of 0,01 g (for impurities).
5.5 Sieves (for the determination of the coarseness of the laboratory sample), minimum diameter
size of 200 mm, with 12 mm, 25 mm and 40 mm square apertures.
NOTE To avoid spilling of material, a sieve with sufficient edge height can be chosen.
5.6 Sieves (for macroscopic impurities other than stones and liquid digestate), minimum
diameter size of 200 mm, with 2 mm square apertures.
NOTE To avoid spilling of material, a sieve with sufficient edge height can be chosen.
5.7 Sieves (for stones), minimum diameter size of 200 mm, with 5 mm square apertures.
NOTE To avoid spilling of material, a sieve with sufficient edge height can be chosen.
5.8 Straight tweezers.
5.9 Magnet, diameter between 20 mm and 100 mm, handheld, not electromagnetic.
5.10 Workplace with enough light and a light colored surface for sorting.
5.11 Collecting pan, with the same diameter as the 2 mm and 5 mm sieves.
5.12 Collecting pan, with the same diameter as the 12 mm, 25 mm and 40 mm sieves.
5.13 Mechanical stirrer, with helical, screw or spiral formed rod
6 Procedure
6.1 Sample preparation
6.1.1 Large particles
Prepare the laboratory sample in accordance with prEN 13040-1:— . If 80 % by mass or more of the
sample passes a 40 mm sieve (5.5), the procedure may be continued. If not, the method is not applicable
because the material contains too many large particles.
6.1.2 Amount of test sample
Determine the amount of test sample depending on the coarseness of the laboratory sample. Refer to the
information given on particle size range by the producer to determine the amount of test sample. If the
particle size range is unknown, the following procedure shall be followed:
First, mount the 12 mm square mesh sieve onto the collecting pan, then the 25 mm onto the 12 mm
square mesh sieve and finally the 40 mm square mesh sieve on top. Thoroughly mix the laboratory
sample, gently breaking any lump or agglomerate of the sample that has been caused, for example by
compression during transportation. Weigh 1,0 l of the test sample and pass it through the sieves column
and agitate gently if required.
Record the lar
...
Questions, Comments and Discussion
Ask us and Technical Secretary will try to provide an answer. You can facilitate discussion about the standard in here.