Composition, Uses, and Production
Commercial octaBDE (also known as "Octabrom") is a technical mixture of different PBDE congeners having an average of 7.2 to 7.7 bromine atoms per molecule of diphenyl ether. The predominant congeners in commercial octaBDE are those of heptabromodiphenyl ether and octaBDE. The term octaBDE alone refers to isomers of octabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE congener numbers 194–205); the Infobox displays BDE-203 (2,2’,3,4,4’,5,5’,6-octabromodiphenyl ether).
| Structure | Congener | Name | Fraction |
|---|---|---|---|
| BDE-153 | 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexa- bromodiphenyl ether |
0.15–8.7% | |
| BDE-154 | 2,2′,4,4′,5,6′-hexa- bromodiphenyl ether |
0.04–1.1% | |
| BDE-171 | 2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,6-hepta- bromodiphenyl ether |
0.17–1.8% | |
| BDE-180 | 2,2′,3,4,4′,5,5′-hepta- bromodiphenyl ether |
n.d.–1.7% | |
| BDE-183 | 2,2′,3,4,4′,5′,6-hepta- bromodiphenyl ether |
13–42% | |
| BDE-196 | 2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5,6′-octa- bromodiphenyl ether |
3.1–10.5% | |
| BDE-197 | 2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,6,6′-octa- bromodiphenyl ether |
11–22% | |
| BDE-203 | 2,2′,3,4,4′,5,5′,6-octa- bromodiphenyl ether |
4.4–8.1% | |
| BDE-206 | 2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5,5′,6-nona- bromodiphenyl ether |
1.4–7.7% | |
| BDE-207 | 2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5,6,6′-nona- bromodiphenyl ether |
11–12% | |
| BDE-209 | Deca- bromodiphenyl ether |
1.3–50% |
OctaBDE is used in conjunction with antimony trioxide as a flame retardant in the housings of electrical and electronic equipment, mainly in the plastic acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, but also in high impact polystyrene, polybutylene terephthalate and polyamides. Typically 12–15% of the weight of the final product will consist of octaBDE.
The annual demand worldwide was estimated as 3,790 tonnes in 2001, of which Asia accounted for 1,500 tonnes, the Americas 1,500 tonnes, and Europe 610 tonnes. The United Nations Environment Programme reports "Since 2004, it is no longer produced in the EU, USA and the Pacific Rim and there is no information that indicates it is being produced in developing countries."
Read more about this topic: Octabromodiphenyl Ether
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