Volatile Products From Pyrolysis of Cotton Fabrics Finished With Thps-Urea-Phosphate

Volatile products evolved during the pyrolysis of cotton fabrics treated with various add-ons of THPS-urea-phosphate flame retardant were measured by pyrolysis-mass spectrometry. Molar fractions of nine primary, volatile pyrolysis products were determined, accounting for 82-89 mole percent of the products. Three classes of volatile products were distinguished on the basis of the response of the product fractions to add-on of the flame retardant. Increasing add-on decreased the anhydroglucose fractions. Small add-ons increased the "furan" fractions and large add-ons decreased them. Nonfuel fractions increased with increasing add-on. Inverse relations were found between anhydroglucose fractions and water fractions and between "furan" fractions and carbon dioxide fractions. The flame retardancy of the cotton fabrics had the best correlation with the water fractions. These results are compared and contrasted with data from the pyrolysis of cotton fabrics treated with another flame retardant, THPOH-ammonia.