Coal Mine Combustion Products: Neoprenes, Polyvinyl Chloride Compositions, Urethane Foam, and Wood

The Bureau of Mines through contract with Ultrasystems, Inc., obtained gram per gram data of products formed on thermal oxidative degradation of selected compositions, both under dynamic and static conditions. Four broad classes of materials were studied Polyvinyl chloride compositions, neoprene compositions, rigid urethane foams, and variously treated woods. Whenever possible, comparisons between pure components and composites were attempted. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses were performed to gain understanding of the processes occurring and to explore the feasibility of using these analyses as a method of material identification. The toxic products detected and quantitated included HCl, H2S CO, SO2, CS2, COS, HCOOH, CH3COOH, formaldehyde, acrolein, C6H6 , chloroprene, chloroethanol, benzyl chloride, aniline, and furfural.