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Firestop's Noflan®
flame retardant for wool and textiles
- a viable alternative to Zirpro®
for airline seating
| The market for a flame retardant suitable for
public area seating, in particular seating for the airline industry
and other mass passenger transport systems, has until recently
been dominated by a single product, Zirpro®.
There is now a modern alternative with the launch of Noflan®,
a new flame retardant product from Firestop Chemicals Ltd, the
only specialist manufacturer of new technology flame retardants
in the UK. |
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Developed specifically to treat wool fibres, for many years Zirpro
has been the only flame retardant product able to meet the very
stringent standards set by the airline industry. This is now set
to change with the introduction of Noflan, a durable, phosphorus-based,
flame retardant product that has been proven to be equally effective.
Engineered specifically for use with textiles and wool, it reacts
when heated to create a char that inhibits the pyrolysis process.
In addition, Noflan has two very important advantages over Zirpro.
Wool treatment is simpler and more cost effective as Noflan can
be added during continuous processing, unlike Zirpro which is a
batch treatment. Also, following an intensive eight-month testing
programme conducted by SafePharm Laboratories, Noflan has been certified
by the European Inventory of New and Existing Commercial Substances
(EINECS) as a Class 4 (non-classified) safe material. Zirpro produces
a toxic effluent which has to be disposed of by the processor.
Exhaustive testing has been carried out by BAe Systems on behalf
of the Civil Aviation Authority, and Noflan has been certified
as
passing the test requirements of FAA/FAR 25.853 and ABD0031 (2005)
with respect to 12s Vertical Flammability, Smoke Emission and Toxic
Gas Emission in both the warp and weft directions.
This accreditation meets the demanding safety standards set by
both Boeing and Airbus and we are now actively promoting
Noflan to suppliers of airline seating, carpeting and carpet materials
used to line the inside of the fuselage within the passenger cabin.
Suitable for use with most textile fibres, Noflan is equally suitable
for other types of public seating where flame retardant properties
are essential, including train and bus transportation. Non-brominated
and antimony free, Noflan renders cotton, polycotton mixes, wool
and linen completely flame retardant without affecting the physical
properties of the textiles, so that they retain their feel and 'handle'.
Water soluble at up to 35%, it is applied by conventional pad and
mangle methods.
| Additionally, Firestop is developing a range
of non-brominated and halogen-free flame retardants for use
with plastics and textiles, and fire resistant coatings. The
only specialist manufacturer of new technology
flame retardants in the UK, Firestop is backed by technology
transfer company, Proventec plc, a company specialising
in identifying the commercial potential of new technologies,
particularly those developed in the former Soviet Union. |
For further information, contact:
Firestop Chemicals Ltd Unit
4, the Clock Tower, Manor Lane, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire CW4 8DJ,
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1477 544466 Fax: +44 (0)1477 544115 E-mail
pflanagan@firestop.uk.com
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