Chemical equilibrium and molar group contribution analysis of the flammability of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate

An important biopolymer, PHB, has no published data on its flammability. This study estimates ignition temperature and calculates heat release capacity for PHB to determine flammability. Using chemical equilibrium calculations to predict evolution of flammable species, the ignition temperature of PHB is estimated to be 375 °C (to about ±10 °C). Using the molar group contribution method, the PHB heat release capacity is calculated to be 765 J/g-K. Both the PHB ignition temperature and heat release capacity indicate that PHB has an average flammability for a commodity polymer.