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Abstract: The influence of additives on the interaction between radiation from fires and single water droplets has been investigated in detail. A literature study was performed on available information of radiation spectra from different types of fires. Based on this, four reference spectra were proposed that cover most of the different types of radiation that can be expected from fires. These reference spectra were used to compare the effect of different water additives and droplets sizes. Using Mie-theory it was found that increased atomization, down to a diameter limit of 1–10μm, gives a better volumetric absorption efficiency. Decreasing the diameter further does not lead to improved volumetric absorption since the Rayleigh (small droplet) limit is reached, where the volumetric absorption is independent of diameter. Different additives were investigated with respect to increased absorption in the droplets. It was found, however, that it is not trivial to find non-flammable and non-toxic additives that give a significant improvement in absorption. Carbonated water was a potential candidate but the increased absorption was limited to a very weak band centered at 2300cm−1. Since this coincides with the strong CO2 emission band an effect could be seen when carbonated water interacted with radiation from clean flames. The maximum increase in volumetric absorption for carbonated water was 4%, occurring for a droplet diameter of 10μm. Other additives gave better effects but they were either combustible (carbon nanopowder) and/or toxic to some degree. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wire and cable coverings are potentially a major cause of fire in buildings and other installations. As they need to breach fire walls and are frequently located in vertical ducting, they have significant potential to increase the fire hazard. It is therefore important to understand the ignition and burning characteristics of cables by developing a model capable of predicting their burning behaviour for a range of scenarios. The fire performance of electrical cables is usually dominated by the fire performance of the sheathing materials. The complexity of the problem increases when cable sheathing incorporates fire retardants. One-dimensional pyrolysis models have been constructed for cable sheathing materials, based on milligram-scale and bench-scale test data by comparing the performance of three different software tools (ThermaKin, Comsol Multiphysics and FDS, version 6.0.1). Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were conducted on powdered cable coatings to determine the thermal degradation mechanism, the enthalpy of decomposition reactions, and the heat capacities of all apparent species. The emissivity and the in-depth absorption coefficient were determined using reflectance and transmittance measurements, with dispersive and non-dispersive spectrometers and integrating spheres. Bench-scale tests were conducted with a mass loss calorimeter flushed with nitrogen on samples in a horizontal orientation, for comparison with the pyrolysis model of non-flaming decomposition at an external heat flux of 50 kW m −2 . The parameters determined through analysis of the milligram-scale data were used to construct a pyrolysis model that predicted the total mass loss from calorimeter tests in anaerobic conditions. A condensed phase pyrolysis model that accurately predicts in-depth temperature profiles of a solid fuel, and the mass flux of volatiles evolved during degradation of the fuel, is an essential component of a comprehensive fire model, which when coupled to a computational fluid dynamics code can be used to predict the burning processes in a fire scenario. Pyrolysis models vary considerably in complexity based on the assumptions incorporated into the development of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low pressure, medium pressure and high pressure water-based fire suppression systems were tested in a medium scale tunnel (scale 1:3). The primary objective was to investigate which of these systems are most effective in the suppression or control of different types of tunnel fires. The default low, medium and high pressure systems refer to full scale water flow rates of 10 mm/min, 6.8 mm/min and 3.7 mm/min, respectively. Some other water densities were also tested to investigate the effects, as well as different ventilation velocities and activation criteria. Several series of fire tests were conducted for different fire scenarios. The fire scenarios considered included idle wood pallet fires, loosely packed wood crib fires, loosely packed wood and plastic crib fires, and pool fires, with or without a top cover on the fuel load. Comparisons of the three default systems based on the three parameters: heat release rate, energy released and possibility of fire spread, show that the performance of the default low pressure system is usually the most effective based on the parameters studied. The default high pressure system usually yields results less effective in comparison to the default low pressure system. The performance of the default medium pressure system usually lies in between them. The high pressure system behaves very differently in comparison to the others, in terms of tunnel ventilation velocity, water density, operating pressure, and the presence of the top cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although flame retardants are very effective in reducing the fire hazard of polymeric materials, their presence may be detrimental to mechanical strength. Hence, in order to have a holistic improvement of performance properties, a new approach has been developed wherein biochar is used to host a naturally-occurring flame retardant (lanosol). The issue of loss in mechanical strength of a polymer host is alleviated by the use of biochar. Three different doping procedures were investigated, namely, dry mixing, and chemical and thermal-based doping, to integrate lanosol into the biochar pores. The doped biochar was used to develop wheat gluten-based blends. The mechanical and flammability properties of the blends were assessed. It was found that thermal doping was the most effective in introducing significant amounts of lanosol particles inside the biochar pores. The bioplastic containing chemically, and thermally doped biochar had equal tensile strength (5.2 MPa), which was comparable to that of the unmodified material (5.4 MPa). The thermally doped biochar displayed the lowest cone calorimeter peak heat release rate (636 kW m−2) for combustion and the highest apparent activation energy (32.4 kJ mol−1) for decomposition. Thus, for flame retarding protein-based matrices, the use of additives thermally doped into biochar is recommended to both simultaneously improve fire-resistance and conserve mechanical strength. • Lanosol, a naturally occurring fire retardant, was doped into biochar pores using three methods. • The methods applied were dry mixing, chemical, and thermal doping. • The doped biochars were successfully used to fabricate wheat gluten-based biocomposites. • The most effective impregnation method was thermal doping. • Thermal doping was the best at preserving strength and lowering flammability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of 3D printing technology for manufacturing construction materials is gaining popularity, however, only a few studies have reported the fire behavior of such parts. In this research, the fire properties of 3D printed polylactide acid (PLA) parts with varying infill densities along with the tensile properties were analysed. The results from the fire tests showed that increasing the infill density increased the fuel load, which sustained combustion. Hence, the peak heat release rate and total heat release increased with an increment in infill density percentage. It was also observed that the increasing infill density had no effect on the flammability rating of the parts due to the constant shell thickness used for all the parts. In addition, the tensile strength and ductility of the parts increased with density as a porous part is more susceptible to failure than a solid homogeneous part. • Higher infill density increases the amount of material in the part. • Increasing infill density increases fuel load and flammability. • Flammability rating of 3D printed parts depend on shell thickness. • Ductility of 3D printed parts increases with infill density. • Higher infill density improves tensile strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By-products management from industrial and natural (agriculture, aviculture, and others) activities and products are critical for promoting sustainability, reducing pollution, increasing storage space, minimising landfills, reducing energy consumption, and facilitating a circular economy. One of the sustainable waste management approaches is utilising them in developing biocomposites. Biocomposites are eco-friendly materials because of their sustainability and environmental benefits that have comparable performance properties to the synthetic counterparts. Biocomposites can be developed from both renewable and industrial waste, making them both energy efficient and sustainable. Because of their low weight and high strength, biocomposite materials in applications such as automobiles can minimise fuel consumption and conserve energy. Furthermore, biocomposites in energy-based applications could lead to savings in both the economy and energy consumption. Herein, a review of biocomposites made from various wastes and their related key properties (e.g. mechanical and fire) are provided. The article systematically highlights the individual wastes/by-products from agriculture and materials processing industries for composites manufacturing in terms of their waste components (materials), modifications, resultant properties, applications and energy efficiency. Finally, a perspective for the future of biowastes and industrial wastes in polymer composites is discussed. [Display omitted] • Waste-based sources for eco-friendly polymeric composites are introduced. • Most bio-wastes were found to enhance the modulus only without any pre-treatment. • The applications of industrial waste-based composites are yet to be identified. • Some wastes e.g. eggshell and fly ash, can be effective fire-retardant synergists. • Waste-based biocomposites can garner energy efficiency in certain applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progressive transition from conventional structural designs to lightweight and more complex structures has led to the increase in the quantity of plastic materials in buildings. However, plastics have a major flaw: their low fire performance characterised by shorter ignition times and higher heat release rates. This has necessitated the incorporation of flame retardants (FRs) in plastics. Nevertheless, not all FRs are environmentally safe, hence, there is an urgent need for the development of sustainable biobased FRs that reduce environmental footprints while simultaneously improving the fire performance of plastics. This article addresses the negative connotation of FRs and reviews the most extensively used biobased FRs in plastics, their preparation (synthesis) and mode of application, performance evaluation as well as the leaching of FRs, and environmental fate. Some interesting observations in the review are the reduction of ignition times of plastics by the addition of FRs due to the rapid volatilisation of samples. In addition, the leaching rate of FRs is found to be higher in finer particles (micro and nanoparticles) compared to larger-sized ones and has the potential to dissolve in humic matter hence endangering the lives of humans and animals. • The quantity of plastics in structures has increased drastically. • Sustainable flame retardants are required for fire treatments of plastics. • Synthesis and incorporation methods of FR's in plastics affect the performance. • Reduction of ignition time by flame retardant is due to rapid volatilisation. • Leaching is higher in finer plastic particles than larger ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Transport behaviors and mutual influences of three ionic compounds in C-S-H gel nanopores were studied. • When sulfate and nitrite ions coexist, the transport rate of solution in C-S-H gel nanopores is greatly reduced. • The degree to which anions influence the transport rate of solution is ranked SO 4 2 - > Cl - > NO 2 -. • The relationship between dipole moment and hydrogen bond interaction was verified through current simulation. Ions that penetrate concrete micropores have a significant influence on concrete's properties. Studying the microscopic interaction mechanisms between ions and concrete materials allows the discovery of factors that significantly affect concrete properties from a new perspective. In this study, molecular dynamics techniques were used to simulate the transport processes of different ionic compounds (Na 2 SO 4 , NaCl and NaNO 2) in C-S-H gel nanopores in a pairwise coupled way, so that a detailed investigation into how these ions interact with each other and how they affect C-S-H gel could be carried out. It was found that for anions entering the C-S-H gel nanopores, the order of transport rate is SO 4 2->Cl->NO 2 –. Furthermore, the SO 4 -Na ion pair greatly affects the transport rate of solution due to its strong binding stability. Additionally, this study found that the presence of sulfate ions changed the transport characteristics of nitrite ions, such that nitrite ions aggregated into clusters more easily, thereby disrupting the compatibility between nitrite ions and water molecules. As a result, the presence of sulfate ions reduced the rustproofing effect of nitrite ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of pyrolysis reactors on the properties of biochars (with a focus on flammability and mechanical characteristics) were investigated by keeping factors such as feedstock, carbonisation temperature, heating rate and residence time constant. The reactors employed were hydrothermal, fixed-bed batch vertical and fixed-bed batch horizontal-tube reactors. The vertical and tube reactors, at the same temperature, produced biochars having comparable elemental carbon content, surface functionalities, thermal degradation pattern and peak heat release rates. The hydrothermal reactor, although, a low-temperature process, produced biochar with high fire resistance because the formed tarry volatiles sealed water inside the pores, which hindered combustion. However, the biochar from hydrothermal reactor had the lowest nanoindentation properties whereas the tube reactor-produced biochar at 300 °C had the highest nanoindentation-hardness (290 Megapascal) and modulus (ca. 4 Gigapascal) amongst the other tested samples. Based on the inherent flammability and mechanical properties of biochars, polymeric composites' properties can be predicted that can include them as constituents. [Display omitted] • Birch wood was carbonised in three different reactors with analogous reaction conditions. • Hydrothermal, vertical and horizontal tube reactors were used to produce the biochars. • Vertical and horizontal tube biochars had most properties identical to each other. • Hydrothermal biochar resisted combustion the most but had low mechanical property. • Different reactors had varied effect on the nanoindentation properties of biochars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]