Insight on how biopolymers recovered from aerobic granular wastewater sludge can reduce the flammability of synthetic polymers.

Eco-friendly flame retardants are greatly required to meet the expectations of low-toxicity, environmental compatibility and sustainability. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), the biopolymers recovered from excess granular wastewater sludge, have been successfully incorporated into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by a solution casting method. Self-extinguishment of EPS was observed in a vertical burn test.

Special Issue "Recent Advances in Flame-Retardant Polymers and Composites".

The flame-retardant performance of materials has become an increasingly crucial factor for society across a broad range of applications in aircraft, automobiles, civil infrastructure, and consumer products [...

Evaluating Orientation Effects on the Fire Reaction Properties of Flax-Polypropylene Composites.

In this work, the fire reaction properties of flax-polypropylene (PP) composites were investigated at multiple sample angles both experimentally and numerically under two different heat flux conditions (35 and 50 kW/m) in the cone calorimeter environment. An innovative testing setup which can accommodate a wide range of angles between 0° and 90° for the sample angle frame was developed to perform cone calorimeter tests at different sample angles. An advanced numerical predictive model based on the finite volume method was developed using the fire dynamics simulator (FDS) to quantify the dependency of ignition and combustion properties with sample angles.

Effects of Graphene Nanoplatelets on Mechanical and Fire Performance of Flax Polypropylene Composites with Intumescent Flame Retardant.

The integration of intumescent flame-retardant (IFR) additives in natural fiber-based polymer composites enhances the fire-retardant properties, but it generally has a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties, such as tensile and flexural strengths. In this work, the feasibility of graphene as a reinforcement additive and as an effective synergist for IFR-based flax-polypropylene (PP) composites was investigated. Noticeable improvements in tensile and flexural properties were achieved with the addition of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) in the composites.

Flammability Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Casein Based Polymeric Composites.

Even though casein has an intrinsic potential ability to act as a flame retardant (FR) additive, the research regarding the FR performance of casein filled polymeric composites has not been thoroughly conducted. In the present work, two commercial casein products, such as lactic casein 720 (LAC) and sodium casein 180 (SC), were chosen to investigate their effects on the performances of the polypropylene (PP) composites. The melt compounding and compression moulding processes were employed to fabricate these casein-based composites.

A Review on the Flammability Properties of Carbon-Based Polymeric Composites: State-of-the-Art and Future Trends.

Carbon based fillers have attracted a great deal of interest in polymer composites because of their ability to beneficially alter properties at low filler concentration, good interfacial bonding with polymer, availability in different forms, etc. The property alteration of polymer composites makes them versatile for applications in various fields, such as constructions, microelectronics, biomedical, and so on. Devastations due to building fire stress the importance of flame-retardant polymer composites, since they are directly related to human life conservation and safety.

Flame retardant property of flax fabrics coated by extracellular polymeric substances recovered from both activated sludge and aerobic granular sludge.

In this research, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), such as EPS and EPS, were successfully extracted from activated and aerobic granular sludge, respectively, and tested as bio-based flame retardant materials. Flax fabric was coated by the biopolymeric substances and its flammability was evaluated based on a vertical burning test defined in US Federal Aviation Regulation. Both EPS and EPS coated flax fabrics achieved the self-extinguishment due to effective char formation.

An Attempt to Find a Suitable Biomass for Biochar-Based Polypropylene Biocomposites.

Four biomass wastes (rice husk, coffee husk, coarse wool, and landfill wood) were added with biochar and polypropylene (PP) to manufacture biocomposites. Individual biomasses were tested for their combustion behavior using cone calorimeter. Biocomposites were analyzed for their fire/thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties.