Bio-based flame retardants for sustainable thermoplastic polymer applications

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95486-0.00070-3

Polymers are lightweight, easily processed, widely available, and generally affordable materials. Because polymers are mostly made of carbon and hydrogen, they are highly flammable. Despite their exceptional qualities, their application areas are limited due to their combustibility. Plastic raw materials containing considerable quantities of flame retardant chemicals are often used in transportation, white goods, aviation, and textile markets. To ensure consumer safety, flame retardant chemicals must be used in these areas. Flame retardants (FRs) are widely used in various industries to improve materials' fire resistance. Fires cause many deaths and economic losses every year. One of the solutions to prevent fires is to use FR agents. For this reason, general fire regulations are becoming more stringent in developed countries and tend to converge. As a result, the design of environmentally benign and highly effective flame retardants has become a hot subject in the plastics sector, prompting substantial study into thoroughly understanding the action of existing flame retardants. A sustainable point of view, as an alternative to commercial flame retardant chemicals, focuses a strategic emphasis on the development of renewable resources in a way that is safe for the environment and human health. In this chapter, after briefly explaining the combustion process of polymers, brief information is given about the working mechanisms of FR. To understand the studies described in the chapter, general flammability tests are introduced. Afterwards, the properties and importance of bio-based flame retardants (FRs) are briefly explained. Then, the working mechanisms, types, and synergies of some bio-based FR types are discussed. Various aspects of flame retardants and their applications in thermoplastics will be highlighted.