An overview of commercially used brominated flame retardants, their applications, their use patterns in different countries/regions and possible modes of release.

Modeling chemical and physical processes of wood and biomass pyrolysis

There is a rapidly growing body of literature covering the role of plant secondary metabolites in food and their potential effects on human health. Furthermore, consumers are increasingly aware of diet related health problems, therefore demanding natural ingredients which are expected to be safe and health-promoting. By-products of plant food processing represent a major disposal problem for the industry concerned, but they are also promising sources of compounds which may be used because of their favourable technological or nutritional properties. The purpose of this review is to highlight the potential of selected by-products as a source of functional compounds.

By-products of plant food processing as a source of functional compounds — recent developments

Treatment of organic pollution in industrial saline wastewater: a literature review

Biomass pyrolysis kinetics: A comparative critical review with relevant agricultural residue case studies

Devolatilization rate of biomasses and coal–biomass blends: an experimental investigation

Treatment of olive oil industry wastes

Devolatilization and pyrolysis of refuse derived fuels: characterization and kinetic modelling by a thermogravimetric and calorimetric approach

The thermal stability and decomposition products of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), a widely used aliphatic brominated flame retardant, were investigated. HBCD thermal degradation was carried out in nitrogen and in air at moderate heating rates (10 °C/min) using thermogravimetric analyzers and a laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor. The identification of decomposition products was based mainly on FTIR and gas-chromatographic/mass-spectrometric techniques. Quantitative data on hydrogen bromide formation and on the bromine distribution among the different product fractions were obtained. For the experimental conditions used in this study, about 75 wt % of the bromine is released as HBr, and 25 wt % is involved in the formation of high-molecular-weight bromo-organic compounds. The main pathways of HBCD thermal degradation were assessed, and a global mechanism for HBCD decomposition was proposed.

Thermal stability and decomposition products of hexabromocyclododecane

Production of electronic boards containing brominated flame retardants is constantly increasing, posing important problems with disposal of products containing these materials. The present study investigated the thermal degradation behavior of electronic boards manufactured using tetrabromobisphenol A and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy resins. Qualitative and quantitative information was obtained on the products formed in the thermal degradation process, and the bromine distribution in the different product fractions was determined. The more important decomposition products included hydrogen bromide, phenol, polybrominated phenols, and polybrominated bisphenol A species. The formation of considerable amounts of hydrogen bromide and high-molecular-weight organobrominated compounds, as well as the potential formation of limited quantities of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, is an important element of concern in the safety and environmental assessment of the thermal degradation proc...

Luigi Petarca

Papers

Devolatilization rate of biomasses and coal–biomass blends: an experimental investigation

Treatment of olive oil industry wastes

Devolatilization and pyrolysis of refuse derived fuels: characterization and kinetic modelling by a thermogravimetric and calorimetric approach

Thermal stability and decomposition products of hexabromocyclododecane

Thermal Degradation and Decomposition Products of Electronic Boards Containing BFRs