Chemical characterization of smoke from the production process of wood-plastic composites

The chemical composition of unpleasant smell, emitted from the production process of wood-plastic composites using Manchurian ash sawdust (Fraxinus mandschurica Rupr.) and polypropylene powder as the raw material, was investigated. Wood sawdust and polypropylene powder were subjected to heat treatment to 290°C during 8 min (the conditions were similar to those employed on an industrial scale). The emitted compounds were collected and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The analytical results showed that the unpleasant smell was emitted from the pyrogenation of wood sawdust rather than from the polypropylene powder. Nine types of compounds (hydrocarbons, ethers, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, acids and their derivatives, furan and its derivatives, and nitrogen-containing compounds) were collected in the gas phase during heating. Among those 126 components detected by GC-MS, 112 compounds were identified.