PREPARATION AND DETERMINATION OF SOME FLAME RETARDANT PROPERTIES OF A BLEND OF BAOBAB POD AND ALUM FOR USE IN EMULSION PAINT

Baobab pod was dried, crushed and sieved with a mesh size of 100 µm. It was mixed with the alum of the same mesh size. 1.0 g, 1.5 g, 2.0 g, 2.5 g and 3.0 g each of the prepared blend were mixed with 50 ml of emulsion paint, doped on the wood and allowed to dry. Flammability parameters such as ignition time, burn length, flame propagation rate, flame duration and afterglow time were tested. An increase in ignition time with increase in concentration was observed while a decrease in the burn length, flame propagation rate, flame duration and afterglow time was observed as the concentration of the retardant applied on the wood increases. The bicarbonate of Ca2+ and Mg2+ could be responsible for the flame retardancy properties.