Abstract

Thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry (TG-MS) was used to study the effect of the inorganic salts (NH4)2SO4 and (NH4)2HPO4, active substances of many commercial forest fire retardants, on the pyrolysis of Pinus halepensis needles and their main components (cellulose, lignin and extractives). These salts seemed to affect the pyrolysis of cellulose by increasing significantly the char residue, decreasing the pyrolysis temperature and changing the composition of the evolved gases, that is, increasing levoglucosenone and decreasing oxygen containing volatile products. (NH4)2SO4 seemed to have negligible effect on the pyrolysis of lignin, while (NH4)2HPO4 increased the char residue and decrease the relative contribution of guaiacols in the evolved gases. No effects of the inorganic salts on the extractives were observed. Finally, the inorganic salts seemed to affect the pyrolysis of pine-needles, mainly the cellulose component, but the effects were not as intense as in the pyrolysis of cellulose.

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