Organic products of incomplete combustion of colored bags and inks

The goal of this study was to identify and trace the possible sources of organics emitted during the laboratory incineration of colored paper bags. An infrared incinerator was used to separately burn segments of colored paper bags and each ink component of the bags at a temperature of 300 degrees C. Chemical analyses were performed to characterize the Products of Incomplete Combustion (PICs) emitted during the combustion process. A gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) was used to identify organic groups ranging from alkanes to aromatics and polycyclic compounds. PICs identified and traced to their sources include: benzaldehyde, ethenylbenzene, furfural, naphthalene, and phenol. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.