Title: Investigation of emissions from thermal oxidation of waste wood samples using spectral methods

Authors: Sema Yurdakul; Aysel Atimtay

Addresses: Environmental Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, 06800, Ankara, Turkey ' Environmental Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, 06800, Ankara, Turkey

Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of chemical treatment and heating rate on the emissions released from various waste wood samples including untreated pine and chemically treated MDF, plywood and particleboard after thermal treatment. Emission characteristics of the samples were determined in situ by using their FTIR spectra. Some toxic and carcinogenic gases such as formaldehyde, isocyanate, ammonia and phenyl group were detected in emissions from low temperature combustion of treated samples. For this reason, urea-formaldehyde or melamine formaldehyde treated waste wood samples should be oxidatively pyrolysed at low heating rates and low temperatures to remove nitrogen-containing toxic compounds such as ammonia and isocyanate.

Keywords: biomass; toxic emissions; Fourier transform infrared; FTIR spectra; thermal oxidation; chemical treatment; waste wood; heating rate; untreated pine; chemically treated MDF; plywood; particleboard; carcinogenic gases; isocyanate; ammonia; phenyl group; low temperature combustion; urea-formaldehyde treatment; melamine formaldehyde treatment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2015.070044

International Journal of Global Warming, 2015 Vol.7 No.4, pp.423 - 438

Received: 15 May 2013
Accepted: 15 Dec 2013
Published online: 26 Jun 2015 *

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