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Most combustion processes are directly linked to the chemistry of the atmosphere, primarily as the source for the release of various combustion product gases and particulates. These gases and particulates can be classified into a number of categories and areas of environmental concern including global warming, toxic/carcinogenic agents, contributors to urban smog, etc. Detailed physical and chemical processes during the combustion govern the high temperature pathways for product gas/particulate generation and can be appropriately altered to minimize the production of unwanted combustion products. Presently, however, these flame processes are generally poorly understood for most practical combustors. Recent advances in experimental flame diagnostics and in detailed chemistry flame models are enabling us to understand in much greater detail how flames work, and how to alter the formation pathways of flame products. In this paper, the authors use such tools on two new environmentally related studies. The authors study the specific flame processes that lead to flame extinction in order to identify new flame suppressant compounds (i.e., alternative halon agents) which are not detrimental to stratospheric ozone. In the other project, flame structure studies are focused on the understanding of the conversion of hazardous waste (particularly chlorine, phosphorous, and sulfur compounds) during incineration
