A study of cotton coated with intumescents flame retardant: Kinetics and effect of blends of used vegetable oil methyl ester

Abstract

Oxidative thermal degradation and flame retardant behavior of cotton with intumescent formulations containing nanoclay as well as biodiesel (B0, B23, and B100) are studied by thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis, and limiting oxygen index (LOI). Activation energy of thermal degradation of cotton and cotton coated samples is determined by applying Coats-Redfern method on TG data. Action of intumescent is found concurrent with the process of decomposition of cotton fabric on heating. Activation energy of cotton coated with intumescent (175.3 kJ mol−1) is found lower than that of uncoated cotton (236.5 kJ mol−1), which further decreased on inclusion of blends of biodiesel in intumescent formulations (112–126 kJ mol−1). Char yield for cotton coated with intumescent increased from zero to 12.9% at 500 °C. LOI value for pure cotton (17%) increased for intumescent-coated (22.3%).