Combust This: Can Wood Preservatives Increase the Effectiveness of Fire Retardants?

Overview

Objectives/Goals To see if wood preservatives can increase the effectiveness of a fire retardant and to find an improved fire retardant. Methods/Materials 110 pieces of wood, a two burner camping stove, 2 ring stands, a postal scale, paint, and wire. The chemicals compared were borax and copper sulfate (aqueous solutions). The wood pieces were soaked or painted using these solutions. A wire hanger that hung the wood pieces above the burner was crafted. It was found that the insides of the burners produced a more powerful flame. The pieces of wood were burned at 4 one minute increments. The weight of each wood piece was measured before and after burning. Results Experiment 2 tested wood soaked in the solutions. Piece A was untreated wood, piece B was wood soaked in borax, piece C was wood soaked in copper sulfate, and piece D was wood soaked in borax and copper sulfate. In this experiment, piece D had the best results, loosing an average of 1 gram. Experiment 3 tested wood dipped in paint mixed with the chemical solutions. Piece A was dipped in only white exterior paint, piece B was dipped in paint mixed with borax, piece C was dipped in paint mixed with copper sulfate, and piece D was dipped in paint mixed with borax and copper sulfate. Piece C showed the best results in experiment 3, losing an average of 1 gram. Experiment 4 compared the winners of experiment 2 and 3 to barricade gel (commercial fire retardant). Piece A was untreated wood, piece B was wood soaked in a mixture of borax and copper sulfate. Piece C was wood dipped in paint mixed with copper sulfate, and piece D was wood coated in barricade gel fire retardant. Barricade gel showed the best results with losing an average of 0 grams. Conclusions/Discussion The experimental hypothesis stated that the combination of borax as a fire retardant and copper sulfate as a wood preservative in both the soaked wood and paint will provide 2 times more resistance than if either chemical is used alone. The experimental results proved the hypothesis when comparing the test articles using soaked wood, because the mixture provided roughly 2 times greater fire resistance than the other test articles, as stated in the hypothesis. In experiment 4, wood soaked in the 1:1 mixture of borax and copper sulfate protected the wood approximately 10 times better than the negative control, untreated wood, and 7 times better than the wood painted with the copper sulfate solution.

Awards (1)

• Fourth Place

Competition history

• CSEF 2013 Materials Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1311

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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