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With compounds found in plants, researchers are coming up with new ways to fight back against fires.
Many current synthetic flame retardants are not safe for humans or the environment. They have recently been linked to cancer and disruption of the thyroid. Flame retardants that leak out of the trash into landfills stay in the environment for an unhealthy period of time. Researchers hope that new organic compounds can replace fire quenching chemicals that get added to furniture, electronics, and other consumer products by manufacturers.
The new plant compound would be much less toxic. They tend to be degradable, which is a tremendous upgrade for the environment. Scientists have not yet performed toxicity tests on this compound, but based on the evidence referenced above, they do not expect any problems.
The main ingredients included in this compound were gallic acid, which is commonly found in tea leaves and nuts, as well as a substance found in buckwheat called 3,5-Dihydroxybenzoic acid. Once these chemicals were treated with phosphoryl chloride, that converted them into flame retardant chemicals known as phosphorus esters.
These plant-based ingredients are very common, which will make the chemical treatment process relatively easy and allow for larger-scale manufacturing. The formula was tested in a resin that is used to make electronics, cars, and planes. The results were extremely promising as the chips that were treated with the chemicals were put out almost instantly.
This chemical solution could solve a lot of environmental problems without sacrificing fire-fighting efficiency.
