Bio-Based Fire Retardant for Coco Lumber using Aloe barbadensis miller (Aloe Vera), Mangifera indica (Mango), or Persea americana (Avocado) and Boron Additives

• Main Authors: Mallillin, Hannah Luisa B., Bolivar, John Gabriel B., De Castro, Niccolo Armando C., Kim, Seo Eun, Sanchez, Isabel Angelica A., Singian, Antonio Agustin F., Santos, Zaki Mitzrael L., Valle, Esther Joy G., Calamlam, Jose Mari M., Gamboa, Gerald B
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: bio-based fire retardants; mass loss of wood; smoke density; char yield of wood; charring rate of wood; Life Sciences
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/sinaya/vol1/iss3/5; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/sinaya/article/1053/viewcontent/5_Science_and_Technology_Manuscript__8_Bio_Based.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Accidental fires are prevalent in low-income communities and one of the solutions to decrease fire risk is to apply fire retardants on combustible materials. While extensive research was available in creating fire retardants with inorganic chemicals, further studies are needed for bio-based fire retardants. The development of bio-based fire retardants involves testing organic matter for the presence of fire-retardant compounds such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and polyphenols. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of the peels of Aloe barbadensis miller (aloe vera), Mangifera indica (mangoes), and Persea americana (avocados) in creating bio-based fire retardants for coco lumber. Maceration was used to get the fruit and plant extracts. Boric acid and borax were also added as additives to boost fire retarding properties. The burning behavior of the lumber was observed in a modified horizontal flammability test and a modified flame spread test and measured in terms of mass loss, smoke density, char yield, and charring rate. The results revealed that among the fruits, the mango-based fire-retardant inhibited mass loss the most (M = 0.006, SD = 0.003), while the avocado-based fire-retardant inhibited smoke the most (M = 0.036, SD = 0.016). No significant difference was found among the groups as determined by One-way ANOVA and MANOVA (p > 0.05). An indirect relationship was found between smoke density and char yield, which may be examined to improve the smoke suppressing ability of commercial fire retardants. Future studies may also refine the plant extracts and use standard flammability tests.