TY - JOUR A1 - Battig, Alexander A1 - Garfias González, Karla I. A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Valorizing “non-vegan” bio-fillers: Synergists for phosphorus flame retardants in epoxy resins JF - Polymer Degradation and Stability N2 - Sustainable, biogenic flame retardant adjuvants for epoxy resins are receiving increased focus. Zoological products like insects, bone meal, and eggshells are available in large quantities, but remain uninvestigated as functional fillers to epoxy resins, although they are potential synergists to flame retardants. The efficacy and flame retardancy of “non-vegan” additives in combination with flame retardants is investigated and the fire behavior and thermal decomposition of bio-sourced epoxy resin composites is characterized. By comparing the fire performance of composites containing flame retardants or fillers at varying loadings (5, 10, and 20%), their role as synergists that enhance the function of organophosphorus flame retardants in bio-epoxy composites is identified and quantified. Peak heat release rates were 44% lower in composites containing both filler and flame retardant versus those containing only flame retardants, and fire loads were reduced by 44% versus the pure resin, highlighting the ability of “non-vegan” fillers to function as synergists. KW - Flame retardancy KW - Synergy KW - Bio-composite KW - Epoxy resin KW - Biogenic KW - Renewable PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2022.109875 SN - 0141-3910 VL - 198 SP - 109875 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-54438 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -