Until now, mattresses in hotels were often protected with toxic flame retardants. Now things are getting healthier – and more environmentally friendly: Empa researchers have developed an environmentally friendly and economical synthesis for non-toxic flame retardants.
The flame retardant expert Sabyasachi Gaan developed EDA-DOPO at Empa in two years of research work as part of the Eureka SUSPUR project. This was initiated by the FoamPartner Group, which wanted to expand its product range with environmentally friendly, flame-retardant PU foams. The company is currently the sole licensee for EDA-DOPO for PU foam production. The substance is produced exclusively by Metadynea Austria GmbH.
Flame retardant upholstery is prescribed above all for areas where many people are present: Airplanes, trains and buses, hotels and restaurants. Flame retardants prevent inflammation, for example by cigarettes or vandalism. But here, too, environmental standards are becoming ever stricter.
Evaporation of flame retardants into the ambient air and the atmosphere is undesirable, and the toxic gases that can be produced during a fire are becoming less and less acceptable.
Many countries have already banned halogenated flame retardants. The demand for modern, harmless alternatives is therefore growing all over the world.