Flame retardants world consumption

The total world consumption of flame retardants is over 2 billion pounds per year. Half is alumina trihydrate, one-quarter is organic bromine, with organic phosphorus, organic chlorine, and antimony oxide in smaller amounts. 

Under these conditions, regulations impose the use of materials possessing thermal stability as well as efficient fire retardant properties. In parallel, emissions of smoke must be low, not very opaque, not very toxic, and not very corrosive. This evolution toward greater safety seriously limits the use of many materials and involves the rejection of solutions largely used so far and, in particular, halogen-based flame retardants, on account of environmental concerns. Moreover, analysis of various statistics on plastic consumption (180 MT/yr, with a global annual growth rate of approximately 8%) shows the economic importance of this field and illustrates the world s industrial stake in it. 

Table 12.45 shows the total consumption of BFRs in 2001. It is interesting to note the very different use of BFRs in different parts of the world, which naturally corresponds to the different natures of the contaminations. Following the development of the consumption of BFR in recent decades in Sweden (45 tons of PBDEs, 275 tons of TBBPA and 40 tons of HBCD in 1998 and 4 tons of PBDEs, 30 tons of TBBPA and 3 tons of HBCD in 2007) it may appear that the use of BFRs is declining, but in fact it is not, as the types of flame retardants in the market are constantly changing, mainly as a result of changes in legislation (including bans on the... 

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