Abstract: In view of the potential safety hazards of ignition caused by electrostatic discharge of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) during the packaging process, the resistivity, the the static decay time of two types of PVA dust layer, the static charge-mass ratio of the materials during the packaging process, and the surface potential of the packing bag were tested and analyzed，and the concentration of combustible volatile matter near the discharge port during the PVA packaging process was sampled and analyzed. The results showed that the particle size， polarity of the electrostatic charge carried and the environmental humidity all affected the electrostatic decay rate of PVA. In a humid environment, the charge-to-mass ratio of PVA during the packaging process and the the surface potential of the packing bag respectively exceeded 1 μC/kg and 20 kV. There are three types of flammable volatiles sampled and the methanol concentration was higher than the lower explosive limit. There's a risk of igniting the flammable volatiles due to electrostatic discharge. Combustible gas monitoring should be added to the PVA packaging process and electrostatic prevention and control measures should be strengthened.

Key words: PVA, triboelectric charging, flammable volatile, charge-mass ratio, potential