The fire resistance of wood and wood-based materials is often a crucial factor in their utilization in the construction and transportation sectors. There are a number of fire-retardant solutions for wood or wood-based materials available on the market. These solutions can be categorized into surface protection, such as intumescent varnishes, and in-depth impregnation, typically involving impregnates containing phosphates. The objective of each of these solutions is to enhance the fire resistance of commonly-available wood-based materials, especially panel materials already present on the market. It turns out that it is very difficult to achieve satisfactory flame retardancy for materials with a thickness of less than 10 mm. On the other hand, there are several fire retardants available on the market that are insoluble in water and in common organic solvents. These fire retardants, when incorporated into the polymer matrix (such as polyolefins used in electrical cables), play a protective role. Expanded graphite (EG) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) serve as perfect examples of such retardants. Both substances facilitate the formation of a carbon layer during the combustion of a material (Mazela et al. 2020). Lignin, a substance with lower elemental carbon content compared with EG and CNT, possesses significant application potential due to its availability and relatively low cost. Products derived from lignin promote the development of a char layer that acts as a protective barrier, effectively reducing the flammability of the material (Beyler and Hirschler 2002, Angelini et al. 2019).
This work presents a solution for embedding water-insoluble fire retardants within a polymer matrix. A network of cellulose fibers acted as the polymer matrix, while the fire-retardant agent consisted of carbon particles in the form of graphite, carbon nanotubes, or powdered lignin (LignoBoost). The primary objective of the project was to design and produce a fire-resistant lignocellulosic material, specifically a composite panel, with a thickness of less than 10 mm, and then test its fire resistance.
Keywords: HRR, cellulose-based composite, expandable graphite, carbon nanotubes, LignoBoost
Authors
Wojciech Grześkowiak
Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland
Bartłomiej Mazela
Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland
Waldemar Perdoch
Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland
Izabela Siemińska
Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland
Anna Szulc
Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland
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