Solid AFFF Alternative

Fact is, that since years in many parts of this world, PFAS and PFOS containing products are banned. Not so in the case of fire fighting foams. How comes ?

This has mostly to do with the required fire fighting performance in class B (flammable liquids). The technique to extinguish a fire is a cover up to cut the oxygen supply of the fire. So the goal of fire fighters is often to put a blanket of foam on top of the burning surfaces.

So far so good and in case of solid materials like wood or cardboard no problem. But when it comes to liquids, like diesel, gasoline or alcohol the problem is starting. The liquids as well as the heat of the fire are disintegrating and dissolving ordinary foam. The blanket opens up and the fire is reigniting and continues burning or a blanket never reaches the point of suppressing the fire.

In this case, most manufacturers use a trick. They use a so called film building agent that forms a layer on top of the burning liquid an protects the foam from drowning in the liquid. At least in theory now the foam should form a blanket and the fire is extinguished in no time. Most manufacturers of fire foam consider this an essential technology and convinced law makers, that without AFFF (aqueous film forming foam) fire fighting would practically impossible. That is why world wide exceptions are made for the use of PFAS in fire fighting. Fact is, that alternatives, solid in performance exist, but are not in the hands of the big, dominating manufacturers. That's why even experts believe, alternatives do not exist.

But they do !