Development of a Novel Cacao-Husk Fire Retardant: Large-Scale Wildfire Testing and Environmental Toxicity Comparison...

Overview

Background/Purpose Wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe, creating an urgent need for effective fire retardants. Phos-Chek MVP-Fx, a widely adopted fire retardant in the U.S. since 2025, is effective in suppressing fires but contains ammonium-based compounds that can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems. While this new formulation claims to have lower toxicity to aquatic life, its environmental impact remains a concern. This study explores cacao husk-based fire retardant (CFR), derived from an agricultural byproduct, as a potential eco-friendly alternative that may not only match but surpass the effectiveness of Phos-Chek MVP-Fx in fire suppression, while offering reduced aquatic toxicity. Problem/Question Can a cacao husk-based fire retardant match or outperform Phos-Chek MVP-Fx in large-scale and long-term fire suppression effectiveness, while also reducing aquatic toxicity? Methods/Procedure The study involved three primary tests: Large-Scale Effectiveness: Retardants were applied to hay plots at different coverage levels, and fires were ignited to assess flame breaches, barrier effectiveness and barrier temperature under supervision of CalFire & Corona Fire Department. Long-Term Effectiveness: Flame spread rates were measured after the retardants had been exposed to environmental conditions for three days. Aquatic Toxicity: The lifespan of Daphnia magna was monitored after exposure to Phos-Chek MVP-Fx, CFR, and a control group. Claim/Results Both CFR and Phos-Chek MVP-Fx prevented fire breaches in large-scale testing, but CFR showed significantly lower barrier temperatures and reduced flame–barrier contact times, indicating better heat absorption. In long-term testing, both retardants reduced flame spread, with Phos-Chek MVP-Fx showing slightly better performance. Toxicity tests indicated that CFR had a marginally lower aquatic toxicity, with a longer mean lifespan for Daphnia magna compared to Phos-Chek MVP-Fx. Applications/Further Considerations These findings suggest that cacao husk-based fire retardants are a promising alternative to conventional chemical retardants, particularly in terms of environmental safety. Future research should explore pre-season applications, ember exposure, and broader ecological impacts to fully assess CFR's viability for large-scale wildfire management and its environmental effects. Additionally, evaluating the potential cost differences between CFR and Phos-Chek MVP-Fx will be crucial to determine CFR's feasibility for widespread adoption in both commercial and environmental contexts.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Environmental Engineering (Track 2) (Senior Division) · Entry S-12-01

Related projects

Closest projects by meaning, across every fair and year in the corpus.

Browse more like this

• All Environmental Engineering projects
• CSEF Environmental Engineering projects
• Every CSEF 2026 project