Mid-infrared polarization spectroscopy: A tool for in situ measurements of toxic gases in smoke-laden environments

Infrared polarization spectroscopy (IRPS) was used to detect HCl in an 800 mm long tube furnace. Pieces of a polyvinyl chloride-carpet were continuously fed into the furnace producing a heavy smoke, which is exemplified by the fact that the smoke completely obscured a red laser beam from a He-Ne laser. This constitutes a very harsh environment from a diagnostic point of view due to the high smoke density and relatively long path through the furnace. Despite this it was still possible to measure HCl concentrations in the smoke down to a level of similar to 50ppm using IRPS. The explanation for this success is twofold. First, the IRPS method is inherently almost noise free due to the use of crossed polarizers, creating a virtually zero background. Second, the laser beam attenuation due to non-resonant absorption and scattering in the smoke, especially with soot particles, decreases with increasing laser wavelength. Therefore, this type of measurements would have been much more difficult to perform in the visible regime (with wavelengths similar to 0.5 mu m) than in the infrared regime (with wavelengths similar to 3 mu m). Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Spatially resolved trace detection of HCl in flames with mid-infrared polarization spectroscopy

Sensitive and nonintrusive detection of HCl in reactive gas flows with high spatial and temporal resolution manner has for the first time (to our knowledge) been demonstrated using mid-infrared polarization spectroscopy (IRPS). Trace levels of HCl were prepared in an atmospheric pressure premixed CH4/O-2/Ar flat flame by seeding a small amount of chloroform into the Ar flow. Detection of HCl with IRPS in the burnt region of the stoichiometric flame was performed by probing the fundamental ro-vibration transitions with a 3.2 mu m tunable pulsed laser. The quantitative nature, the detection sensitivity, and the potential spectral interferences from water were investigated. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America

Radiation emission from a heating coil or a halogen lamp on a semitransparent sample

The radiation emission of the heating coil of a Cone Calorimeter and the one of the halogen lamp of a Fire Propagation Apparatus have been studied experimentally for varying power settings. These are two standard apparatuses used for fire calorimetry. The objective is to characterize and compare the radiative flux spectrum received by a fuel sample during pyrolysis experiments. The deviation from the standard assumption of black or gray emission is discussed. It is observed that the emission of the heating coil can be approximated well to an ideal blackbody, especially in the infrared range. On the contrary, the halogen lamp emission is more complex, non gray, with an important contribution in the visible and in the near infrared ranges. The flux received by a sample exposed to these emitters is predicted using ray tracing simulations. This shows that the irradiation flux and spectrum from the cone can be accurately calculated if the coil temperature is known. The non Lambertian irradiation flux from the lamp is modeled with a combination of diffuse and collimated intensities, representing the direct emission from the lamp itself and the reflection by the mirror at the rear side. For both emitters, the irradiation is confirmed to be approximately uniform over the surface of a sample 5 cm large (maximum deviation of ±2% on the incident flux). The uniformity decreases for larger samples, but the ratio of the flux at the center to average flux is still 1.04 for standard 10 cm × 10 cm samples under the cone. For illustration purposes, the influence of the spectral characteristics of the emitter is studied in the case of a sample of PMMA, a non gray translucent medium. Using recently published measurements of PMMA absorptivity, the absorbed flux by a 3 cm thick sample is predicted. In the case of an incident flux of 20 kW/m2, the calculated average absorptivity of the sample is 0.91 under the cone, while it is 0.32 under the FPA lamp. These calculations involve absorption data of a virgin sample at room temperature and consequently the numerical results only hold for the initial instants of irradiation. However, the very large differences in radiative behavior show that important discrepancies in the pyrolysis behavior are expected between the two emitters. This might have consequences for fire testing and inter comparisons of flammability results worth further investigation

Natural and industrial wastes for sustainable and renewable polymer composites

By-products management from industrial and natural (agriculture, aviculture, and others) activities and products are critical for promoting sustainability, reducing pollution, increasing storage space, minimising landfills, reducing energy consumption, and facilitating a circular economy. One of the sustainable waste management approaches is utilising them in developing biocomposites. Biocomposites are eco-friendly materials because of their sustainability and environmental benefits that have comparable performance properties to the synthetic counterparts. Biocomposites can be developed from both renewable and industrial waste, making them both energy efficient and sustainable. Because of their low weight and high strength, biocomposite materials in applications such as automobiles can minimise fuel consumption and conserve energy. Furthermore, biocomposites in energy-based applications could lead to savings in both the economy and energy consumption. Herein, a review of biocomposites made from various wastes and their related key properties (e.g. mechanical and fire) are provided. The article systematically highlights the individual wastes/by-products from agriculture and materials processing industries for composites manufacturing in terms of their waste components (materials), modifications, resultant properties, applications and energy efficiency. Finally, a perspective for the future of biowastes and industrial wastes in polymer composites is discussed

The Flame Retardancy of Polyethylene Composites: From Fundamental Concepts to Nanocomposites

Polyethylene (PE) is one the most used plastics worldwide for a wide range of applications due to its good mechanical and chemical resistance, low density, cost efficiency, ease of processability, non-reactivity, low toxicity, good electric insulation, and good functionality. However, its high flammability and rapid flame spread pose dangers for certain applications. Therefore, different flame-retardant (FR) additives are incorporated into PE to increase its flame retardancy. In this review article, research papers from the past 10 years on the flame retardancy of PE systems are comprehensively reviewed and classified based on the additive sources. The FR additives are classified in well-known FR families, including phosphorous, melamine, nitrogen, inorganic hydroxides, boron, and silicon. The mechanism of fire retardance in each family is pinpointed. In addition to the efficiency of each FR in increasing the flame retardancy, its impact on the mechanical properties of the PE system is also discussed. Most of the FRs can decrease the heat release rate (HRR) of the PE products and simultaneously maintains the mechanical properties in appropriate ratios. Based on the literature, inorganic hydroxide seems to be used more in PE systems compared to other families. Finally, the role of nanotechnology for more efficient FR-PE systems is discussed and recommendations are given on implementing strategies that could help incorporate flame retardancy in the circular economy model