Investigation on the thermal hazard and decomposition behaviors of tert-butyl (2-ethylhexyl) monoperoxy carbonate via STA, DSC, and FTIR

In plastic industry, liquid organic peroxides are prevailingly used to manufacture polymer materials. Unfortunately, a corresponding diversity of thermal hazards about instrument damage, fire, explosion, economic loss, and even casualty is engendered. This study focused on the comprehensive investigation to detect the specific thermal reactions and decomposition characteristics of tert -butyl (2-ethylhexyl) monoperoxy carbonate (TBEC) which is commonly used as polymerization initiator. First, simultaneous thermogravimetric analyzer was used to record the data in dynamic heating experiments and two mass loss stages were observed of TBEC. To further estimate the thermal stability of TBEC, differential scanning calorimetry was adopted to collect the thermokinetic parameters. Moreover, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa and ASTM E698-16 kinetic methods were applied for calculating the apparent activation energy of TBEC with different conversion rates. Then, thermogravimetric analyzer and FTIR spectrometer were utilized to detect the gaseous decomposition products of TBEC. The results show that TBEC is a Class 2 hazardous substance with high explosion hazard. The gaseous decomposition product of TBEC is tert -butyl alcohol, carbon dioxide, and 2-ethylhexanol. Furthermore, numerical simulation was employed to obtain the time to maximum rate under the adiabatic conditions of TBEC which can provide a predictive model for the industry. On the other hand, the explosion possibility of TBEC was assessed via oxygen balance. The findings of this study can provide the thermal hazard information of TBEC under upset scenarios and used to develop an instruction system to peter the related incidents.