Characteristics of Particles Emitted from Waste Fires—A Construction Materials Case Study

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the relative densities of populations of particles emitted in fire experiments of selected materials through direct measurement and parametrization of size distribution as number (NSD), volume (VSD), and mass (MSD). As objects of investigation, four typical materials used in construction and furniture were chosen: pinewood (PINE), laminated particle board (LPB), polyurethane (PUR), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The NSD and VSD were measured using an electric low-pressure impactor, while MSD was measured by weighing filters from the impactor using a microbalance. The parametrization of distributions was made assuming that each distribution can be expressed as the sum of an arbitrary number of log-normal distributions. In all materials, except PINE, the distributions of the particles emitted in fire experiments were the sum of two log-normal distributions; in PINE, the distribution was accounted for by only one log-normal distribution. The parametrization facilitated the determination of volume and mass abundances, and therefore, the relative density. The VSDs of particles generated in PINE, LPB, and PUR fires have similar location parameters, with a median volume diameter of 0.2–0.3 µm, whereas that of particles generated during PMMA burning is 0.7 µm. To validate the presented method, we burned samples made of the four materials in similar proportions and compared the measured VSD with the VSD predicted based on the weighted sum of VSD of raw materials. The measured VSD shifted toward smaller diameters than the predicted ones due to thermal decomposition at higher temperatures.

Waste Fires in Poland and Some of their Environmental Implications: A Ten-Year Perspective

“…The reason for it is simple since 1.1.1 represents urban areas, while 1.1.2 is rather suburbs. The waste fi res are more likely to occur in the suburban areas where the waste management practices include waste burning (Bihałowicz et al, 2021b) which can lead to uncontrolled burning -fi re. In the case of medium fi res, all fi res were distributed along with landcover types with a share of less than 10%; however, the most important landcover was 1.2.1 Industrial or commercial units.…”