{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,20]],"date-time":"2026-02-20T06:33:19Z","timestamp":1771569199067,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,11]],"date-time":"2025-04-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744329600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Applied Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Solid waste treatment and resourceization critically depend on waste characterization. Heavy metals and critical raw materials are found as trace elements in solid waste dumps, and their reliable quantification plays a critical role for decision risk regarding effective waste management. The reliable quantification of trace elements is a very challenging issue. Hence, in this study, a new conservative approach for data analysis in screening for trace elements in waste dumps is presented. We propose a theoretical model for statistical data interpretation to overcome the drawbacks of conventional approaches based on unproven hypotheses, such as binomial, Poisson, or Gaussian distributions of the particles carrying the analyte. Our model addresses concentration values close to the limit of quantification (LOQ) of an analytical method. This model fills the gap of data analysis when a set of analytical results are uniformly distributed. Our approach deals with results reported as being lower than the LOQ. The model was applied on XRFS results from studies carried out on tailings to emphasize the differences among classic, robust, and conservative data analyses. Classical analyses overestimate the concentration values and underestimate the associated uncertainties increasing the decision risk. This study demonstrates that a conservative approach is mandatory when screening for trace elements if the concentration values are uniformly distributed. The proposed model can be applied to any solid waste dump, regardless of the analytical method used for trace element screening.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/app15084246","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,14]],"date-time":"2025-04-14T07:42:01Z","timestamp":1744616521000},"page":"4246","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["A New Conservative Approach for Statistical Data Analysis in Surveying for Trace Elements in Solid Waste Ponds"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-2661-4860","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrei-Lucian","family":"Timi\u015f","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of the Materials Science and Engineering Faculty, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independentei, J Building, RO-060042 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6066-6280","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ion","family":"Pencea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of the Materials Science and Engineering Faculty, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independentei, J Building, RO-060042 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8134-139X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adrian","family":"Priceputu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geotechnical and Foundation Engineering, Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, RO-020396 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Constantin","family":"Ungureanu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geological Engineering, Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, University of Bucharest, RO-030018 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zbynek","family":"Karas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"DestroKladno s.r.o., Sykorice 216, 270 24 Zbecno, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Florentina","family":"Niculescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independentei, RO-060042 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ramona-Nicoleta","family":"Turcu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of the Materials Science and Engineering Faculty, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independentei, J Building, RO-060042 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9383-0518","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gheorghe","family":"Iacob","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independentei, RO-060042 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Drago\u0219 Florin","family":"Marcu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independentei, RO-060042 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alexandru Constantin","family":"Macovei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of the Materials Science and Engineering Faculty, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independentei, J Building, RO-060042 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"GACERE (2024, January 20). 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