Facile preparation, pyrolysis and pilot production a bamboo scrimber with halogen-free, flame-resistance and low-smoke

It has been challenging for academia and industry to manufacture fire-safe bamboo materials. In this study, a low-cost, simple, efficient, and environment-friendly composite flame retardant system has been reported for the laboratory preparation and pilot production of bamboo scrimber. Bamboo bundles were immersed in a P-N-B (phosphorus-nitrogen-boron) complex solution derived from halogen-free compounds without external pressure to obtain unique bamboo scrimber construction units. The second exothermic peak of bamboo scrimber was delayed by 478 s, the peak of heat release rate (PHRR), the peak of mass loss rate (PMLR), the peak specific extinction area (PSEA), and the total smoke release (TSR) dropped by 48.0 %, 76.3 %, 81.3 %, and 92.3 %, respectively, in the laboratory study. It’s flame retardancy and smoke suppression properties were substantially improved, which is attributed to the synergistic catalytic carbon formation effect of P, N, and B elements. In the thermal cracking experiments, the combustible gas content from thermal cracking of bamboo decreased while the refractory gas content increased. Pilot test studies showed that the fire performance of large bamboo scrimber blocks with dimensions of 1900 mm × 145 mm× 145 mm and density ≥ 1.26 meet the requirements of flame-retardant class B1 as stipulated in GB 8624-2012. The potential applications of this technology are envisioned for flooring and other industrial applications of decorative bamboo materials.