NPK Analysis of the Thermal Degradation of Decabromodiphenylether
This study aims to investigate the thermal degradation behavior of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209) by simultaneous TG/DTA under various conditions. Due to low volatility, high elution temperatures are needed when applying chromatographic techniques for this class of flame retardants (FR), resulting in thermal degradation affecting analysis results, but no systematic study has been reported. Kinetic analysis was performed by the non-parametric (NPK) method, and in correlation with evolved gas analysis (EGA) information and molecular modeling results, provided valuable insight into the kinetics and mechanism of BDE 209 thermal degradation. The conclusions were aimed at designing proper specific GC analytical methods for the selected FRs and serving for a better estimation of the human exposure to such compounds.