Thermal degradation and combustion behavior of reconstituted tobacco sheet treated with ammonium polyphosphate

In this paper, the APP-modified reconstituted tobacco sheet (RTS) was prepared by a paper-making process. Thermogravimetric analysis coupled to Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (TG-FTIR) had been used to investigate the influences of APP on the thermal degradation and the formation of evolved volatile products of RTS. TG-FTIR results illustrated that the incorporation of APP into RTS could retard the thermal degradation of the major components of RTS and meanwhile lead to the formation of more thermally stable char. Moreover, the main gases released during the pyrolysis of RTS and APP-modified RTS were H2O, CO2, CO, NH3, carbonyl compounds, alcohols and alkanes. The presence of APP changed the formation of evolved volatile products of RTS obviously. The effects of APP on the combustion behavior of RTS were studied by micro-scale combustion calorimetry (MCC), cone calorimetry (CCO) and infrared thermography (IRT). Results demonstrated that the formation of combustible gases was mainly determined by the thermal decomposition stage occurred in the temperature range of 150–600 °C. The incorporation of APP into RTS influenced the release of fuel gases and the char formation in the process of the thermal decomposition of RTS, and eventually retarded the flammability of RTS. In addition, it had been found that the maximum firecone temperature of untreated RTS was higher than that of APP-modified RTS.

► The APP-modified reconstituted tobacco sheet (RTS) has been prepared successfully by a paper-making process.
► APP can retard the thermal degradation of the major components of RTS and change the formation of evolved volatile products of RTS obviously.
► APP can influence the release of fuel gases and the char formation in the process of the thermal decomposition of RTS, and thus retard the flammability of RTS.