Performance improvement of the dry chemical-based fire extinguishers using nanocalcium silicate synthesised from biowaste

Abstract

Herein, we investigated nanocalcium silicate (nCa₂SiO₄) prepared from clam shells and rice husks for its utilisation as a chemical agent in a fire-extinguishing mixture comprising ABC dry powder. The fire-extinguishing performance was evaluated with Class A and B fires. The prepared mixture was compared with commercial mono-ammonium phosphate powder based on different parameters, namely extinguishing time, amount of extinguishing agent used, fire temperature reduction rate, powder coating on the fuel and a reburn incident. It was found that the mixture of nCa₂SiO₄ and ABC dry powder could extinguish Class A and B fires within 10.67 and 9 s, respectively, while commercial mono-ammonium phosphate powder required 11 and 11.33 s to extinguish Class A and B fires, respectively. Thus, the mixture of nCa₂SiO₄ and ABC dry powder was more effective and less consumed as compared to commercial mono-ammonium phosphate powder (Class B only). This study demonstrates the efficacy of nCa₂SiO₄ to improve the performance of dry chemical-based fire extinguishers.