Document Type
Presentation
Publication Date
4-12-2010
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Chad Watson
Abstract
Currently, over 40% of the global burden of disease is attributed to environmental factors; of this, 2.6% of disease is attributed to indoor pollutants. When considering that people currently spend about 85 percent of their time indoors, this is a concerning statistic. Environmental and health concerns have pushed scientists to develop new cleaner and greener burning wax-based products. E3 Fuels has developed an additive that is claimed to reduce the emissions, both particulate and gaseous, associated with the combustion of hydrocarbons in solid wax-based products. In this study, the aforementioned emissions were qualified and quantified in paraffin candles using various techniques including nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared analysis. The difference in the physical and chemical characteristics, the microstructural changes that take place between the pure paraffin and the paraffin containing additive, and the manufacturability of the candles were also analyzed.