Urea-formaldehyde resin (UFR) and unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) are the most widely used raw materials in the manufacturing of buttons

in which pigments containing heavy metals and chlorine are often added. As one kind of typical hazardous waste

non-biodegradable resin button waste is more suitable to be treated by incineration. In this study

thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled with differential scanning calorimeter

TGA coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and lab-scale tube furnace experiments were carried out with UFR and UPR button wastes to investigate the characteristic decomposition temperatures

the potential gaseous pollutions and the distribution of heavy metals in the process of incineration

which could provide scientific basis for the technology optimization and pollution control. The results showed that UFR button waste decomposed at 240-600℃ with gaseous NO generation

and UPR waste decomposed at 180-600℃

producing CO2

H2O

CO

CHn

R OH

R CHO and R COOH. The existence of chlorine in the resin button waste and the formation of these organic compounds can promote the formation of dioxin and other chlorinated aromatic compounds. The contents of Pb

Zn

Cu

Bi and Ti in the resin button wastes were relatively high because of the addition of pigments like PbCO3

Pb(OH)2 and BiOCl

etc. Based on their migration behavior during incineration

Pb and Bi should be made great concerns for pollution control.