Thermal hazard analysis of inorganic peroxide initiators with varying water concentrations

Inorganic peroxide (IP) initiators are widely used as initiators in polymerization reactions. However, if IP initiators are in contact with water due to moisture or storage issues, they decompose and release large amounts of heat quickly that can cause severe fires and explosions. In this study, sodium persulfate and ammonium persulfate were selected to investigate the effects of water content on the thermal decomposition of IP initiators. Accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC) was used to quantitatively study the IP initiators reacting with different concentrations of water, and the thermal decomposition parameters were corrected to calculate the kinetic parameters. Thermokinetic models based on numerical simulations were implemented to evaluate the thermal hazard characteristics, with the time to maximum rate under adiabatic conditions and the self-accelerating decomposition temperature obtained. The results indicate that the effects of water on IP initiators must be taken into account during their production, transportation, and storage in order to prevent fires and explosions.

Automated summary

The study found that water content has an impact on the thermal decomposition of IP initiators, and it is necessary to consider this during their production, transportation, and storage to prevent fires and explosions.