Flame Retardants with Wood-Plastic Composites

Flame Retardants with Wood-Plastic Composites 

Decabrom and antimony oxide were tested as flame retardants with HDPE-based composite materials. Tests were conducted according to ASTM D 635 (plank size of 125 X 13 X 7 mm, 75 mm of length flame spreading). Decabrom in amounts of 12 to 20-30% prevented the composite from burning, with or without added antimony oxide (2.5-3.5%). 10% decabrom did not prevent burning, but in the presence of 

5-10% of antimony oxide it made flame consistently die. Antimony oxide by itself in the amount of 20% did not affect noticeably the burning, as well as 3% Vitrolite. 

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Flame Retardants with Wood-Plastic Composites... 

Considering that plastic often takes 40-50% w/w of flame retardants, there is no room for wood filler in WPC, which will not be WPC anymore but rather a mineral-filled plastic. At any rate, replacement of wood fiber of 3-5 0/lb with mineral flame retardant of 20-30 0/lb would significantly increase the cost of the resulting material. All these questions pose a great challenge to WPC manufacturers aiming at fireproof composite deck boards. 

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