Every summer, fires once again underscore the importance of having solutions that help minimize their consequences. In this field, AIMPLAS is researching new materials and coatings that slow the spread of fire, reduce the fire’s intensity, and decrease smoke generation in applications used in construction, transportation, and infrastructure.
Among the results achieved by AIMPLAS’s various research lines are developments in sustainable flame retardants applicable to paints, varnishes, and plastic materials, such as those produced in the PHOSFIRE project, which have helped cut nearly 50% of the total heat released during combustion and reduced the peak heat release rate by up to 46% compared with reference solutions.
“When it comes to fire safety, every minute counts. Our goal is to develop materials that help slow the progression of the fire, reduce the heat and smoke generated, and thus improve the chances of an effective response in an emergency,” explains Lodovico Agostinis, head of AIMPLAS’s Fire-Resistant Materials Research Group.
The researcher notes that “fire protection can no longer be addressed solely through the effectiveness of materials. It is also necessary to develop safer and more sustainable solutions, using manufacturing processes with lower environmental impact and renewable raw materials where possible.”
Safer and more sustainable materials
The most recent results in this sense come from the REFUGI project, which develops a new generation of ecological, flame-retardant varnishes and coatings aimed at improving the safety of wooden structures. With the growing use of wood in construction and interior design, the REFUGI project seeks to develop solutions that not only slow the spread of fire, but are also more sustainable, both in the materials used and in how they are produced. To this end, it leans on technologies such as mechanochemistry, which reduce solvent use and advance toward manufacturing processes with a smaller environmental impact. Additionally, the formulations developed incorporate bio-based and biodegradable materials.
The developed materials have been validated on MDF panels, widely used in furniture, finishes, and interior spaces. Tests show that some formulations reduce both the intensity and the rate at which the fire grows, as well as significantly lowering smoke production, one of the factors that most hinder evacuation of people in emergency situations. Researchers also observed, in certain formulations, the formation of protective layers during exposure to fire, capable of acting as a heat barrier and helping slow the degradation of the material.
Although the developments have been validated on wood surfaces, the solutions obtained are highly versatile and can also be applied to other materials, such as plastic or metal surfaces, broadening their use in areas like construction, infrastructure, mobility, and automotive.
HEFESTOS, a new European initiative to move toward safer alternatives
AIMPLAS’s experience in this field has led the European Commission to recently select the technology center to coordinate HEFESTOS, an initiative that will study the application of brominated flame retardants to assess the viability of transitioning toward safer and more sustainable alternatives for sectors such as construction, automotive, and wiring.
The project will involve companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, experts, and associations to create a working group capable of analyzing the different viewpoints of this transition and providing technical evidence to help guide future European regulatory decisions.
“Fire safety will continue to be a fundamental need in strategic sectors. However, replacing current solutions does not depend on a single actor: its complexity requires coordination, expertise, and a comprehensive vision capable of identifying bottlenecks, providing technical evidence, and helping to guide future European regulatory decisions,” Agostinis explained regarding the HEFESTOS initiative.
For its part, the PHOSFIRE and REFUGI projects have been developed with funding from IVACE+i and the support of the European Union’s FEDER funds, advancing research into new solutions to improve the fire performance of materials used in strategic sectors.
