Detection of Spontaneous Combustion of Plastic Waste by “Odor”

Accumulated plastic waste is concerned to cause a spontaneous combustion. It is extremely difficult to notice the minor signs indicating the start of combustion inside the accumulated material. Spontaneous combustion of plastic waste was simulated using a temperature-controlled furnace, and the temperature of the sample and the intensity as well as quality of odorous gases emitted were measured during the process of self-ignition. Mixed plastic waste consisting of various plastics of food wrapping was subjected to heating furnace experiment as a single specimen. The odors generated from this specimen and each single individual plastic were measured. The ratio of the similarity indices aldehyde/ammonia was found to increase during the ignition process due to the accumulated heat in the central part of accumulated material. Specimens of individual plastic was burnt and thermally decomposed using TG-DTA under the normal atmospheric condition, the odor also showed a similar tendency with that obtained in the experiment for the mixed specimen.