Effects of melamine phosphate on the thermal decomposition and combustion behavior of reconstituted tobacco sheet

In this paper, first the MP-modified reconstituted tobacco sheet (RTS) was prepared by a paper-making process. Thermogravimetric analysis coupled to Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (TG-FTIR) had been used to investigate the influences of melamine phosphate (MP) on the thermal decomposition and the formation of evolved volatile products of RTS. TG-FTIR results illustrated that the incorporation of MP into RTS could retard the thermal decomposition of the major components of RTS and meanwhile lead to the formation of more thermally stable char. Moreover, the main gases released during the pyrolysis of RTS and MP-modified RTS were H₂O, CO₂, CO, NH₃, carbonyl compounds, alcohols, phenols, alkanes, and alkenes. The presence of MP changed the formation of evolved volatile products of RTS obviously. The effects of MP on the combustion behavior of RTS were studied by micro-scale combustion calorimetry and cone calorimetry. Results demonstrated that the formation of combustible gases was mainly determined by the thermal decomposition stage occurred in the temperature range of 150–600 °C. The incorporation of MP into RTS influenced the release of fuel gases and the char formation in the process of the thermal decomposition of RTS, and eventually retarded the flammability and combustibility of RTS.