The formation of toxic products during the combustion of halogen-containing polymers

Studies have been made of the decomposition of decabromobiphenyl and decabromobiphenyl ether both during the burning of polymers and under the less oxygen-rich conditions involved in the incineration of plastic waste material. The nature of the products depends on the type of combustion. During flameless combustion, the two flame-retardants volatilize unchanged. However, when polymer containing the additive burns with a flame, hydrogen bromide is the only significant bromine-containing product. Product distributions in flames above burning polymers show that the concentration of the hydrogen halide increases from zero at the molten polymer surface to a value corresponding to total conversion of the halogen at and beyond the flame front.