Aqueous Film Forming Foams Based on Biodegradable Natural Surfactants and Additives
Abstract
The objective of this Limited Scope Research work is the development of non-fluorinated, biodegradable bio-derived film-forming composite formulations based on parts of plantain that can be used instead of toxic and bio-persistent polyfluorinated firefighting foams. The aim was to develop firefighting products that meet the performance requirements specified in MIL-F-24385F, which are also environmentally compatible and non-toxic. The banana sap containing a mixture of organic chemicals did not exhibit pool fire quenching properties. The banana peel powders contained potassium as the major inorganic content and, as such, did not contribute to the firefighting. Water-soluble cellulose derived from banana peel powder was tested as a foam stabilizing additive to siloxane and hydrocarbon surfactants in the PFAS-free firefighting foam formulations. The banana peel-derived cellulose demonstrated low viscosity than commercial polysaccharide additives and excellent firefighting capability when mixed with conventional surfactants. The banana-cellulose mixed surfactant formulations could potentially replace AFFF formulations with scaled-up production of banana-cellulose powders and optimization of the PFAS-free formulations towards meeting the Mil-Spec standard.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 15, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1191505
Entities
People
- Kris Rangan
- Tirumalai Sudarshan