THE EFFECT OF POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) ON PYROLYSIS OF BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANT CONTAINING HIGH IMPACT POLYSTYRENE (HIPS-Br)

Abstract: Pyrolysis of brominated flame retardant containing high impact polystyrene (HIPS-Br) was performed in the presence of 1 wt % of polyethyelene terephtalate (PET). The brominated HIPS contained decabromo diphenyl oxide (DDO) as flame retardant with or without antimony trioxide (as synergist) 5 wt%. The pyrolysis experiment was performed in a pyrex glass reactor at 430oC. The affect of PET on pyrolysis of HIPS-Br was confirmed from the analyses of pyrolysis products with gas chromatograph (TCD, FID, MSD, and ECD) and ion chromatography. The presence of PET had significant effect in material balance in particular of decreasing the products gas and increasing the residue. However, it lowered the degradation temperature in both the HIPS-Br samples with and without synergist. 1