Ammonium Sulfate as a Flame Retardant
One of our most popular products is our Fire Retardant, composed of Ammonium Sulfate or (NH₄)₂SO₄. But what is it and how does Ammonium Sulfate work to help prevent fires? When it is mixed into a product it raises the combustion temperature. Simply put, its a lot harder to catch fire because it has to be a lot hotter to catch fire.
Applications:
A common application of Ammonium Sulfate’s fire retardant properties is in mulch. One of its original uses was as a fertilizer. Its use in mulch is vital as a sometimes unknown property of mulch is its flammability due to the large amount of organic material and additive chemicals which all serve as potential fuel for a fire. Fire requires three elements heat, oxygen, and combustible materials, aka something to burn. Mulch has plenty of material to burn, and its loose nature allows oxygen to permeate even deep under the surface. And because it is ground material its has lots of surface area which contributes to its flammability and the intensity of the fire. All that
is missing is heat so ignite. That’s where the properties of Ammonium Sulfate come into play, as when mixed in powder form to the mulch it raises the temperature needed for the mulch to ignite significantly reducing the possibility of a spontaneous combustion, as well mulch fires from other sources of combustion.
See this guide for other tips to prevent mulch fires: Preventing Mulch Fires (safetyinsurance.com)
There’s more to Ammonium Sulfate than preventing mulch fires. You are able to turn the powder into a solution, thus the fire retardant properties can be applied to other materials through a dipping and treating process. Best applied to textiles, this process makes the cloth less likely to catch fire in the same way, by increasing the temperature needed to catch fire. And its safe for humans to consume, making it usable in commercial and consumer products such as:
- Building materials
- Paper products
- Fighting forest fires
- Wiring
- Automotive products
- Bedding
How its made:
Making biomethane creates Ammonium Sulfate as a byproduct of the creation of biomethane. Biomethane is produced when organic compounds are broken down in an anabolic (without oxygen) environment. Many facilites now use this as a way to be ecofriendly and dispose of their organic waste in an ecofriendly way. The biomethane has many applications as a natural gas and the leftover solids have various uses. And Ammonium Sulfate is one of the leftover compounds. ChemisTree sources all of its Ammonium Sulfate from anabolic organic waste. We do this to ensure that we fulfill our mission to have eco conscious products. Therefore reducing out environmental footprint and supporting other green companies.
Another great advantage to using Ammonium Sulfate that comes from its production; is that it is a completely natural substance, making it an environmentally safe product. Any excess or runoff that finds it way into the environment will be non-harmful so long as it’s a reasonable amount. Another property that can be traced to its original use as fertilizer.
Conclusion:
We understood that fire safety is no joke and there is no size fits all for fire retardant treatments. Ammonium Sulfate is not the only flame retardant material we sell, browse our selection for the option that best suits your needs and if you don’t have it feel free to contact our support team as we are always looking to add products to fulfill our customers needs.
Shop our Ammonium Sulfate: Flame Retardant (NH₄)₂SO₄ – chemistree.io