If sufficiently persistent, semi-volatile organic contaminants (SVOCs) can travel long distances through the atmosphere from their points of release and become concentrated in cold, remote regions. As air is sampled for SVOCs to establish both their presence and the success of emission reduction efforts, it becomes helpful to determine sampling site proximity to sources and the origin of the sampled air masses. Comparing three increasingly sophisticated methods for quantifying source proximity of sampling locations, it was judged necessary to account for the actual history of the sampled air through construction of an airshed, especially if wind is highly directional and population distribution is very non-uniform. The airshed concept was improved upon by introducing a ‘geodesic’ grid of equally spaced cells, rather than a simple latitude/longitude grid, to avoid distortion near Earth’s poles and to allow for the comparison of airshed shapes. Assuming that a perfectly round airshed reveals no information about sources allows the significance of each cell of an airshed to be judged based on its departure from roundness. Combining air-mass histories with a 2 year-long series of SVOC air concentrations at Little Fox Lake in Canada’s Yukon Territory did not identify distinct source regions for most analytes, although γ-hexachlorocyclohexane appears to originate broadly in north-eastern Russia and/or Alaska. Based on this remoteness from sources, the site is judged to be well suited to monitor changes in the hemispheric background concentrations of SVOCs. A model-based exploration revealed wet-gaseous deposition as the dominant process responsible for cold-trapping SVOCs in mountain soils. Such cold trapping is particularly effective if precipitation rate increases with altitude and if temperature differences along the mountain are large. Considerable sensitivity of the modeled extent of cold-trapping to parameters as diverse as scale, mean temperature, atmospheric particle concentration and time relative to emission maxima is consistent with the wide variety of observed enrichment behaviour. Concentration gradients of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in air and soil measured on four Western Canadian mountains with variable distance from sources revealed source proximity as the main driver of concentrations at both the whole-mountain scale and along individual mountain transects.

If sufficiently persistent, semi-volatile organic contaminants (SVOCs) can travel long distances through the atmosphere from their points of release and become concentrated in cold, remote regions. As air is sampled for SVOCs to establish both their presence and the success of emission reduction efforts, it becomes helpful to determine sampling site proximity to sources and the origin of the sampled air masses. Comparing three increasingly sophisticated methods for quantifying source proximity of sampling locations, it was judged necessary to account for the actual history of the sampled air through construction of an airshed, especially if wind is highly directional and population distribution is very non-uniform. The airshed concept was improved upon by introducing a ‘geodesic’ grid of equally spaced cells, rather than a simple latitude/longitude grid, to avoid distortion near Earth’s poles and to allow for the comparison of airshed shapes. Assuming that a perfectly round airshed reveals no information about sources allows the significance of each cell of an airshed to be judged based on its departure from roundness. Combining air-mass histories with a 2 year-long series of SVOC air concentrations at Little Fox Lake in Canada’s Yukon Territory did not identify distinct source regions for most analytes, although γ-hexachlorocyclohexane appears to originate broadly in north-eastern Russia and/or Alaska. Based on this remoteness from sources, the site is judged to be well suited to monitor changes in the hemispheric background concentrations of SVOCs. A model-based exploration revealed wet-gaseous deposition as the dominant process responsible for cold-trapping SVOCs in mountain soils. Such cold trapping is particularly effective if precipitation rate increases with altitude and if temperature differences along the mountain are large. Considerable sensitivity of the modeled extent of cold-trapping to parameters as diverse as scale, mean temperature, atmospheric particle concentration and time relative to emission maxima is consistent with the wide variety of observed enrichment behaviour. Concentration gradients of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in air and soil measured on four Western Canadian mountains with variable distance from sources revealed source proximity as the main driver of concentrations at both the whole-mountain scale and along individual mountain transects.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:58:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LucieneMR_DISSERT.pdf: 3721446 bytes, checksum: 16ced8820ae92014f7d8c365770f515c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-11 / In the present research work, composites were prepared using pine apple leaf fibres (PALF) as reinforcement with unsaturated polyester resin as matrix, incorporating with fire retardant at different compositions. The PALF was obtained from the decortication of pine apple leaves obtained from Ramada 4 from Ielmo Marinho in the State of Rio Grande do Norte. The unsaturated polyester resin and the catalyzer were bought from the local establishment. The fire retardant, aluminium tri-hydroxide - Al(OH)3 was donated by Alcoa Alum?nio S.A and was used in the proportions of 20%, 40% and 60% w/w. Initially the fibres were treated with 2% NaOH for 1 hour, to remove any impurities present on the fibre surface, such as wax, fat, pectin and pectate, in order to have a better adsorption of the fibres with the matrix as well as the flame retardant. The fibre mat was prepared in a mat preparator by immersion, developed in the Textile Engineering Laboratory, at the UFRN. The composites (300x300x3 mm) were prepared by compression molding and the samples (150x25x3 mm) for analysis of the properties were cut randomly using a laser cutter. Some of the cut samples were used to measure the smoke emission and fire resistance using UL94 standard. Mechanical tension-extension and flexural properties were carried in CTG?s RN and the Laborat?rio de Metais e Ensaios Mec?nicos Engenharia de Materiais UFRN , as well as SEM studies were carried out at N?cleo de Estudos em Petr?leo e G?s Natural - UFRN . From the observed results, it was noted that, there was no marked influence of the fire retardant on the mechanical properties. Also in the water absorption test, the quantity of water absorbed was less in the sample with higher concentration of fire retardant. It was also observed that the increase in the proportion of the fire retardant increased the time of burning, may be due to the compactness of the composite due to the presence of fire retardant as a filling material even though it was meant to reduce the rate of inflammability of the composite / Na presente pesquisa foram desenvolvidos comp?sitos com fibras da folha do abacaxizeiro (PALF - Pineapple Leaf Fiber), utilizando resina de poli?ster insaturado como matriz, incorporando retardante de chama em diferentes composi??es. As fibras da folha do abacaxizeiro foram obtidas na ramada 4 do munic?pio de Ielmo Marinho no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. A resina de poli?ster insaturado e o catalisador foram comprados no com?rcio. O retardante de chama de alumina trihidratada (hidr?xido de alum?nio - Al(OH)3) foi doado pela empresa Alcoa Alum?nio S.A. e foi utilizado em propor??es de 20%, 40% e 60% do peso do material utilizado na fabrica??o dos comp?sitos. As PALFs foram tratadas com 2% de hidr?xido de s?dio, por 1 hora, para eliminar as impurezas superficiais tais como ceras, gorduras, pectinas e pectatos, para que houvesse uma melhor ades?o da matriz ?s fibras, bem como do retardante de chama. As mantas de fibras foram preparadas num preparador de manta por imers?o, desenvolvido no Laborat?rio de Engenharia T?xtil da UFRN. Os comp?sitos (300x300x3 mm) foram moldados por compress?o e as amostras (150x25x3 mm) para an?lise das propriedades foram cortadas, em diferentes posi??es da placa do comp?sito com aux?lio de uma m?quina de laser. As propriedades mec?nicas de tra??o e flex?o em tr?s pontos foram realizadas no CTG?s RN e no Laborat?rio de Metais e Ensaios Mec?nicos de Engenharia de Materiais da UFRN. Os testes da emiss?o de fuma?a e resist?ncia ao fogo foram realizados no Laborat?rio de Engenharia T?xtil da UFRN, utilizando a norma UL94. As amostras resultantes das propriedades mec?nicas foram avaliadas no MEV do N?cleo de Estudos em Petr?leo e G?s Natural da UFRN. Com base nas an?lises dos resultados nos ensaios mec?nicos, observou-se que o retardante de chama n?o tem influ?ncia significativa. Tamb?m observou-se que no ensaio de abosor??o de ?gua, quanto maior a concentra??o de retardante de chama, a quantidade de ?gua absorvida ? menor. No teste de inflamabilidade, observou-se que quanto maior a concentra??o de retardante de chama, maior o tempo de queima. Pode ser conclu?do que a presen?a de retardante de chama, al?m de atuar como inibidor de chama, tamb?m atua como uma carga que influ?ncia a compacta??o do comp?sito e desta forma reduz a taxa de queima

L’objectif de cette thèse est de proposer un procédé de recyclage de mélanges ABS-PC issus des Déchets d’Equipements Electriques et Electroniques (DEEE) réels capable de s’affranchir des contraintes liées au recyclage des polymères.Ces contraintes sont liées, entre autre, à la présence d’impuretés (autres polymères) après l'étape de tri et au procédé de remise en forme. L’influence de la présence d’impureté dans un alliage ABS-PC sur ces propriétés mécaniques (résistance au choc et traction) a donc été étudiée en s’appuyant sur des observations morphologiques. Il s’est avéré que la présence d’impureté non miscible conduit à la dégradation des propriétés mécaniques de l’ABS-PC. L’ajout de compatibilisants a été étudié afin de masquer l’effet de l’impureté. Il a ainsi été montré que l’amélioration de la résilience du mélange (ABS-PC/impureté) est intimement liée à la modification de la morphologie et à la nature de l’adhésion aux interfaces. Il a ensuite été constaté que l’optimisation des paramètres de mise en oeuvre engendre une modification de la morphologie. Cette modification peut entrainer une augmentation de la résistance au choc.Ces deux méthodes ont ensuite été appliquées à un mélange d’ABS-PC ignifugé issu des DEEE contenant une impureté. L’ajout de compatibilisant et de la modification des paramètres de mise en oeuvre améliore la résilience. En revanche, cela a un effet néfaste sur le comportement au feu de l’alliage ABS-PC ignifugé. / The aim of this PhD work was to propose a recycling process method of PC-ABS blend from real Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment deposit (WEEE) deposits. This recycling process has to be able to overcome the problematic related to polymer recycling.The main constraints about recycling process are the presence of polymeric impurities after sorting step as well as mechanical reprocessing (extrusion and injection molded). Firstly, the effect of impurities on the mechanical properties (tensile and impact strength) and morphology (SEM, TEM) of PC-ABS blends have been studied. The presence of immiscible impurity deteriorates the mechanical properties of PC-ABS. The addition of an appropriate compatibilizer enhances the interface between PC-ABS and the impurity. The compatibilizer improves the impact strength and changes the morphology of this blend. Secondly, the optimization of injection molding parameters generates a change in morphology. This change leads to an increase of the impact strength.Both methods were applied to a flame retardant PC-ABS from WEEE with an impurity. The addition of a compatibilizer and the modification of injection molding parameters improve the impact strength. The presences of an impurity and a compatibilizer have a negative effect on the flame retardant properties of the PC-ABS blend

Les Déchets d'Equipement Electriques et Electroniques (DEEE) constituent un volume important de déchets dont le constituant majoritaire est l’ABS. C’est pour cela que nous avons travaillé principalement avec des polymères provenant d’un gisement réel (carters d’ordinateurs). Puis, des mélanges ABS/PC ont été élaborés (le PC étant un des constituants d’un gisement de carters), dans le but d’obtenir un matériau avec une résilience au moins équivalente à celle d’un ABS neuf. Même si l’ABS a montré une bonne aptitude à être recyclé seul, après vieillissement et recyclage, sa résilience connaît une chute due à la dégradation de la phase élastomère et à la présence d’ignifugeants. Il est important pour le recyclage de l’ABS et de ses mélanges de séparer les polymères ignifugés de ceux qui ne le sont pas. La voie mélange pour le recyclage de l’ABS par l’ajout de PC a l’avantage de simplifier le tri et de recycler un maximum des polymères présents dans les DEEE. Nous avons tout d’abord réalisé des mélanges ABS/PC neufs pour bénéficier d’une mise en œuvre et d’une composition optimales. L’influence des paramètres du procédé de recyclage (température et vis d’extrusion) et des propriétés des matériaux (taux et viscosité du PC, retardateurs de flamme de l’ABS) sur les propriétés du mélange a été étudiée. Nous avons effectué essentiellement des essais de résistance au choc Charpy et des études morphologiques. Les résultats ont montré qu’une morphologie fibrillaire ou co-continue est favorable à la meilleure résilience des mélanges ABS/PC. Nous avons obtenu pour des mélanges neufs ABS neuf FR/PC neuf réalisés avec 70% d’ABS une résilience supérieure à celle de l’ABS neuf. Mais, à composition égale, ce résultat n’a pas été atteint pour les mélanges majoritaires en ABS recyclé. Souhaitant réaliser des mélanges performants majoritaires en ABS recyclé, la compatibilisation semble nécessaire. Un mélange recyclé majoritaire en ABS, compatibilisé avec du PP-g-MA, est montré plus résilient que l’ABS neuf seul. Toutefois, les compatibilisants ont une efficacité limitée lorsqu’ils sont en présence de retardateurs de flamme ou soumis à un temps de séjour élevé dans la presse à injecter. Nous avons voulu utiliser des nanocharges minérales (montmorillonites), ajoutées en faible quantité, en tant qu'ignifugeants et compatibilisants. Elles se sont avérées inefficaces dans les études préliminaires réalisées. Le choix des nanoargiles minérales doit être optimisé. / WEEE constitute a huge waste volume in which ABS is the major component. So, we focused on polymers from a real deposit (casing of computers); such a deposit contains ABS, PC, PS, ABS-PC. In a first step, recycling of aged ABS was studied. The decrease in the C=C content induces an impact strength drop. Nevertheless, ABS proved to be recyclable given that optimized processing conditions are found. The role of flame retardants was shown to be crucial on the recyclability. Separating polymers with or without flame retardants is the key point of the ABS recycling. However, recycled aged ABS do not recover the impact strength of neat virgin ABS. Then, ABS/PC blends were elaborated in order to obtain a material with an impact strength at least equivalent to the neat ABS. The use of ABS/PC blends for this recycling facilitates the sorting and the utilization of most of WEEE polymers. We first made ABS/PC blends from virgin polymers to have optimal processability and composition. Performing Charpy impact strength tests and morphological studies allowed to evaluate the influence of recycling process parameters (temperature and screw extrusion) and material properties (rate and viscosity of PC and ABS flame retardants). Experimental results indicate that the impact strength of the ABS/PC blends is higher when the morphology is fibrillar or co-continuous. We obtained ABS virgin FR/PC virgin blends (70/30) with an impact strength greater than the neat ABS. But, with equal composition, this result was not reached for the blends. So to achieve reliable blends rich in recycled ABS, compatibilisation is necessary. Recycled ABS/PC blends compatibilised with PP-g-MA is more resilient than the ABS. However, the compatibilising agents have a limited efficiency when they are used in the presence of flame retardants or subjected to a high residence time. Finally, nanoclays were attemptively used as both FR and compatibiliser. Tough they proved uneffective in the very first experiments carried out (the choice of clay need to be optimized).

S’intéressant aux interactions entre la formulation, le procédé et le produit, ce travail original axé sur la fonctionnalisation ignifuge de textiles utilisés dans les transports et le bâtiment porte sur le développement de poudres non feu. La ligne conductrice de cette étude étant de comprendre comment les propriétés ignifuges du textile technique peuvent être influencées par les choix de formulation ou de procédé de mélange. L'identification des besoins, c.-à-d. la réalisation d’un produit fini ignifuge, la conception de mélanges de granulométrie définie qui s’écoulent facilement et qui possèdent une sensibilité à l’inflammation faible, a permis de proposer et d’examiner diverses formulations. En matière de méthodologie ce projet combine l’approche sécurité à l’ingénierie produit. La sélection finale des mélanges sera fonction des résultats de cette analyse technique globale. Le travail expérimental a permis de sélectionner le polymère et l’agent ignifuge à la concentration de 40 % pour l’obtention en mélangeur interne de particules bifonctionnelles répondant aux spécifications fixées. Contrairement aux mélanges à retournement ou haute vitesse, les grains préparés par granulation Hot-Melt ont des liaisons mécaniques renforcées. Ce résultat semble s’expliquer par la bonne affinité, le bon rapport en termes de taille de particules entre les composants et une morphologie favorable à la formation de ce type de structures. Ce mode de fabrication a également permis de lever les deux principaux verrous à savoir préparer une poudre bifonctionnelle à haute teneur en agent ignifuge et réaliser un mélange qui ne se démélange pendant l’étape d’imprégnation du procédé DPreg / This original work deals with the functionalization of textile fire retardant used in transport and the building focused on the development of fire retardant powders while studying the interactions of three criteria: the formulation, process and product. The main line of this study is the understanding and quantification of the flame retardant properties of the textile, which can be influenced by the choice of formulation or mixing process. The identification of needs, i.e. the realization of a finished fire retardant, the design of defined particle size mixtures, which flow easily and possess low sensitivity to inflammation, allowed to propose and consider various formulations. This project methodology is a good example of the combination between two approaches: the product engineering and a safety approach. The final selection of mixtures will be based on the results of a comprehensive technical analysis. The experimental work allows us to select the polymer and the flame retardant at a concentration of 40% in order to obtain in an internal mixer of bifunctional particles meet the specifications set out in this study. Unlike conventional mixtures by inversion or high speed, the grains prepared by Hot-Melt granulation have enhanced mechanical linkages. This result seems to be due to the good affinity and good particle size ratio between the components and a good morphology to the formation of such structures. This manufacturing method also overcomes two obstacles; the preparation of a bifunctional powder with high content of flame retardant and the realization of a mixture which does not demix under the action of the electric field of the DPreg impregnation process

This work is focuses on the modification of organic fiber insulating materials in terms of their reaction to fire after installation into the construction. The target is to find a way to improve the reaction to fire and to at least reach the reaction to fire D.

This diploma thesis deals with problematics of electrochemical power sources with focus on lithium accumulators, their construction and functioning priciple. It also discusses the safety of li-ion batteries with respect to their flammability. In addition, the flame retarders, which help to lower the flammability, are listed. The thesis describes Cyclic Voltammetry and Galvanostatic Cycling with Potencial which are lithium-ion cell measuring methods. In the last part, the influence of various flame retarders on negative electrode is compared based on the conducted tests.

In der vorliegenden Dissertationsarbeit wird auf die Thematik der Entwicklung von Polymerwerkstoffen, basierend auf vollständig natürlichen Resourcen, eingegangen. Die vorliegende Lösung beruht auf der Compoundierung von Polylactid mit unterschiedlich modifizierten Vanillin. Ziel war es, flammschutzwirkende Komponenten einzubringen und die Abhängigkeiten zwischen Zusammensetzung und Eigenschaften aufzuklären. Dem liegt die Absicht zugrunde, optimale Werkstoffe zur Verfügung zu stellen, die sich durch deutlich verbesserte flammhemmende und mechanische bzw. thermo-mechanische Eigenschaften auszeichnen. Die erzeugten modifizierten Vanillin-Derivate sowie deren Composite wurden hinsichtlich der physikalischen und chemischen Struktur mittels REM, EDX, FTIR, NMR, DSC, TGA, SEC und Zugversuch charakterisiert. Zur Bestimmung der flammwidrigen Eigenschaften wurden UL-94 V, LOI und CCT durchgeführt. Es hat sich gezeigt, dass System aus PLA und einem Vanillin-Phosphorsäure-Ester in Bezug auf werkstofflichen Eigenschaften insgesamt die optimale Leistung aufwies. Die Materialen ergaben eine verbesserte Zähigkeit und erheblich erhöht flammwidrige Eigenschaften. In einem weiteren Schritt wurden MMT und APP, zwei kommerzielle Flammschutzmittel, mit dem PLA/VP System kombiniert. Die daraus abgeleiteten Resultate bewiesen eine synergistische Wirkung zwischen VP und MMT bzw. APP und führten zu besseren Brandklassen bei LOI und UL-94 Brandtests. / The present work demonstrates the development of fully bio-based polymeric composites. It was realized by the compounding of poly(lactic acid) and differently modified vanillin. The aim of this work was to introduce flame retardant components into PLA and to study the flame retardant mechanism. The intention of this approach is the preparation of optimized PLA composites with significantly improved flame retardant, mechanical as well as thermo-mechanical properties. The modified vanillin and the PLA composites based on those vanillin derivatives were characterized by means of SEM, EDX, FTIR, NMR, DSC, TGA, SEC and tensile test for their physical and chemical structures. UL-94 V, LOI and CCT were carried out to determine the corresponding flame retardant properties. The results showed that, the PLA/VP system represented the best overall performance. The PLA/VP composite exhibited increased toughness and significantly improved flame retardancy. In addition, two commercialized flame retardants, MMT and APP, were introduced into the PLA/VP system, respectively. It was suggested that there were synergic effects between VP and MMT as well as APP. The combined used flame retardants resulted in an improved classification in UL-94 and LOI tests.

The thesis discusses possibilities of use new thermal insulation materials based on natural renewable resources (primary technical hemp) in development of the new thermal insulation materials. The main task (in the work) is to find modifications of the thermal insulation mats based on natural fibres by chemicals substances to improve the moisture properties, thermal properties and fire resistance.