Assessing fire hazards of herbicides: Identifying toxic emissions from pesticide combustion

The main aim of this research is to identify the hazards posed by plant protection products with a focus on herbicides associated with fire, the emission of hazardous substances into the atmosphere. In order to identify the substances formed during the thermal decomposition of plant protection products, a tube furnace was used. Asphyxiating and irritant gases (CO, N₂O, NO, SO₂, NH₃, HCl, CH₂O, HCN) were identified quantitatively using FT-IR analysers. The volatile and semi-volatile compounds released during combustion of plant protection products were analysed using a gas chromatograph with mass spectrometer. Cone calorimeter tests were also carried out to provide comprehensive information on fire hazards. The products tested on the cone calorimeter showed extremes ranging from no ignition to values comparable with car oil and heptane. Toxic emission tests have shown that even products that do not ignite can undergo thermal degradation, which also results in the formation of large quantities of toxic substances.