Synergistic effect of commercial and natural flame retardants in polylactide biocomposites
- Main message: We propose a combination of natural biomass from algae species Desmodesmus sp.along with commercially available flame retardant Melapur200 (melamine polyphosphate) in different mass ratios. We have successfully demonstrated that the use of both of them in PLA matrix biocomposites shows a synergistic flame retardant effect. Introduction: Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), a biodegradable polymer produced from renewable resources such as corn starch and sugarcane, is increasingly being used as a substitute for traditional petrochemical-based polymers in various commercial applications. However, its flammability characteristics need improvement to enable its use as a technical polymer. Based on previous successful experiments on PLA biocomposites with phosphor-enriched algae as filler [1], it was even mandatory to continue with enhancement of PLA flame retardancy. Therefore, tests for PLA biocomposites with P-algae containing melamine polyphosphate at different mass ratios wereMain message: We propose a combination of natural biomass from algae species Desmodesmus sp.along with commercially available flame retardant Melapur200 (melamine polyphosphate) in different mass ratios. We have successfully demonstrated that the use of both of them in PLA matrix biocomposites shows a synergistic flame retardant effect. Introduction: Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), a biodegradable polymer produced from renewable resources such as corn starch and sugarcane, is increasingly being used as a substitute for traditional petrochemical-based polymers in various commercial applications. However, its flammability characteristics need improvement to enable its use as a technical polymer. Based on previous successful experiments on PLA biocomposites with phosphor-enriched algae as filler [1], it was even mandatory to continue with enhancement of PLA flame retardancy. Therefore, tests for PLA biocomposites with P-algae containing melamine polyphosphate at different mass ratios were performed. Pyrolysis, reaction to small fire and fire behavior tests were carried out. Results and Discussion: Thermal stability analyses showed that all composites decompose earlier at lower temperature than pure PLA to a small extent. The evolved gases analysis revealed the release of ammonia and phosphates for the composites tested. PCFC analysis showed the greatest decrease in pHRR for the sample containing Melapur200/Algae (Figure 1A). Similarly, in the fire behaviour analysis, the best result was obtained for the sample containing a mixture of Melapur200 and Algae (Figure 1B). Satisfying results were obtained in the tests of reaction to small flame, where all the samples passed the classification from V-2 to V-0 (in the UL 94 test) and the oxygen index for the best sample was 27.4 +- 0.2%. When only Melapur200 or algae are added separately, a slight flame retardant effect is visible, however if both materials are added in suitable mixtures to the polymer, a synergistic effect is observable. In some cases, it can even be observed that the synergistic effect has surpassed expectations from the superposition. In conclusion, the combination of Melapur200 together with microalgae gives satisfying flame retardant effects for PLA biocomposites. Acknowledgement: The authors thank Dr. Georgios Mourgas (Tecnaro GmbH), and Dr. Michael Schweizer (Tecnaro GmbH) for their contributions to conceptualizing the project, raising the grant, and supporting this work. Thanks to Dr. Robert Gleuwitz (formerly of the BAM), Dr. Claudia Thomsen (iSeaMC GmbH) and Prof. Dr. Laurenz Thomsen (formerly of Jacobs University Bremen, now University of Gothenburg), Thanks to the financial support of the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung – BMBF: KMU-innovativ: Biooekonomie 031B1289B…


| Autor*innen: | Mateusz Dudziak |
|---|---|
| Koautor*innen: | Esra Dural, R. Dey, M. S. Ullrich, Bernhard SchartelORCiD |
| Dokumenttyp: | Posterpräsentation |
| Veröffentlichungsform: | Präsentation |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung: | 2025 |
| Organisationseinheit der BAM: | 7 Bauwerkssicherheit |
| 7 Bauwerkssicherheit / 7.5 Technische Eigenschaften von Polymerwerkstoffen | |
| DDC-Klassifikation: | Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / Ingenieurwissenschaften / Ingenieurbau |
| Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / Ingenieurwissenschaften / Sanitär- und Kommunaltechnik; Umwelttechnik | |
| Freie Schlagwörter: | Melamine polyphosphate; Microalgae; Polylactide; Synergism |
| Themenfelder/Aktivitätsfelder der BAM: | Infrastruktur |
| Infrastruktur / Fire Science | |
| Umwelt | |
| Umwelt / Circular Economy | |
| Veranstaltung: | 20th European Meeting on Fire Retardant Polymeric Materials (FRPM2025) |
| Veranstaltungsort: | Madrid, Spain |
| Beginndatum der Veranstaltung: | 03.06.2025 |
| Enddatum der Veranstaltung: | 06.06.2025 |
| Verfügbarkeit des Dokuments: | Datei im Netzwerk der BAM verfügbar ("Closed Access") |
| Datum der Freischaltung: | 17.06.2025 |
| Referierte Publikation: | Nein |

