Burning plastics: a combustion if not clean?

[Christophe]

I bought on Saturday a perforated plastic sheet for our strawberry greenhouse (you know the one that is fed by the hydraulic ram drip: https://www.econologie.com/forums/faire-un-g ... t5965.html ) because the other (not perfomed) did not stop tearing himself apart But that is not the question.

One of the "marketing" arguments of this tarpaulin was that it respected the environment in the sense that its combustion was not polluting.

So here I come!

I who (falsely so?) Believed that all combustions of all plastics were highly polluting or carcinogenic !!
So question: what are the plastics that we "can" burn and which ones especially cannot be burned?

I imagine that the list of burnable plastics is rather limited ... it would be easier to do the 1ere list

[Rabbit]

Especially not PVC.

For PE, HDPE and PP, this "ecological" argument is
actually present but I still have serious doubts.

PE and PP

The combustion of polyethylene PE and polypropylene PP releases only water and carbon dioxide.
To see if the plastic is PE or PP, the flames are yellow (due to incandescent carbon particles) and white smoke.
The smell is like the smell of a candle. You have PE or PP bottles of shampoo, plastic films ...

One of these sources:

http://www.infoxygene.com/dossiers/article.php?id=103

That said, if I were certain of the veracity of these statements, I will not bring my bottles of water to the container parks anymore. it would be stupid to offer such a source of energy to these people who are so uncomfortable.

[Christophe]

Oops that's where I should have started, actually it's low density polyethylene (PELD) . "Equivalent" resistance (to what ??) at 50 microns.

I copy the remark in bold of the packaging:

This product preserves the environment. His cremation does not release any toxic element

The manufacturer is:
http://www.intermas.com/gardening/index ... idioma=fra

And it is precisely this model:


The PELD is all plastic bag crates no? And that would mean that HDPE is the same?

So we could properly "burn" all the milk bottles?
I strongly doubt there!

[Gregconstruct]

Pretty special their method to check if the plastics are PE and PP.

It's a bit like saying: "To make sure that this liquid is not a deadly poison, ingest it and wait and see if you die or not ..."

Anyway, it seems to me that burning plastics, no matter what type, is really not a good idea.
Although PE and PP only release water and CO2 during combustion (and I have serious doubts about it), the CO2 emitted by this combustion is of fossil origin. Plastics are mostly derived from petroleum products.

So, avoid burning your plastics whatever they are and do not fall into the trap of this false ecological advertising argument!

[Christophe]

All the same Greg, I doubt!

A PELD plastic bag that burns has never seemed to me to smell like a "candle" !! Besides, it shouldn't give off anything like an odor if it was really only CO2 and H2O (and knock in the teeth of the explanations!)

For CO2: if the PE and PP are finally treated in an incinerator, at the CO2 level it will be worse than if you burn them in your stove (be careful, I do not recommend doing this despite these "doubts") ... since it will be necessary transport see sort this waste!

[delnoram]

Especially not PVC.
That said, if I were certain of the veracity of these words, I will not bring any more
my bottles of water at the parks with containers. It will be stupidity
to offer such a source of energy to these people who are so uncomfortable.

the water bottles are made of PET and I'm not sure that it is as polluting as PE or PP

[Christophe]

I think he was talking about his bottle of milk!

What is this bottle of milk?

[Gregconstruct]

For CO2: if the PE and PP are finally treated in an incinerator, at the CO2 level it will be worse than if you burn them in your stove (be careful, I do not recommend doing this despite these "doubts") ... since it will be necessary transport see sort this waste!

I agree with you!

Now, I just thought about what was written on the packaging of your plastic.
In the end, I don't think it's an "ecological argument" but rather fire "prevention".
I think about that because it's the kind of marking that we can find on some building materials.
For example, if your house is insulated with expanded polystyrene, pray for no fire to occur, otherwise it is assured asphyxiation.
On the other hand, certain materials do not emit toxic gas during their combustion.

[Gregconstruct]

What is this bottle of milk?

Tell dad, how are babies made?

[delnoram]

A PELD plastic bag that burns has never seemed to me to smell like a "candle" !! Besides, it shouldn't give off anything like an odor if it was really only CO2 and H2O (and knock in the teeth of the explanations!)

By experience (not voluntary ) I would specify that it is the Polypro that feels the candle