Fast identification of polymer additives by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Thermoanalytical methods are especially useful in the analysis of polymer additives. This paper describes a fast method for the qualitative identification of additives in polymers originating from electronic waste. The method is based upon a double-shot pyrolyzer coupled to a gas chromatograph with mass spectrometry detection. The pyrolysis products of two samples of recycled ABS were studied and compared to those of a virgin ABS sample as a function of the pyrolysis mode. The identification of the additives was achieved on the basis of their mass spectra (MS) and comparison with standard MS-libraries. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.