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Chemical–analytical investigation of fire products in intermediate storages of recycling materials
Author(s) -
Krüger Simone,
Berger Anka,
Krause Ulrich
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fire and materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-1018
pISSN - 0308-0501
DOI - 10.1002/fam.1098
Subject(s) - flammable liquid , carbon monoxide , heteroatom , cardboard , smoke , hydrogen chloride , environmental chemistry , chemistry , waste management , dichloromethane , methane , carbon fibers , ammonia , chlorine , carbon dioxide , pulp and paper industry , organic chemistry , materials science , composite material , solvent , ring (chemistry) , composite number , engineering , catalysis
SUMMARY Organic materials like paper, cardboard, textiles or plastics are mostly flammable. In intermediate storages for recycling products, these materials are stored in large amounts. If fire occurs in these stores, large emissions of smoke and other potentially harmful products are likely. In the present study, the gaseous products released from fires of such materials—for example, because of self‐ignition—were investigated. Different fractions (paper/cardboard, textiles and plastics) were crushed at low temperatures (about 80 K) and subsequently allowed to smoulder at different temperatures using the German standard Deutsches Institut für Normung 53436. The gases produced were sampled and analysed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The chemical composition of these gases differed considerably depending on fuel type. For flammable materials without heteroatom, the gases consisted predominantly of toxic compounds like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Smouldering of materials containing heteroatoms showed, in addition to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water vapour, further toxic components containing the heteroatom. Materials containing chlorine produced hydrogen chloride, and materials containing nitrogen produced ammonia and hydrogen cyanide. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.