Developments in Flame-Retardant Bio-composite Material Production

Flame-retardant composites have been researched for more than four decades, and demands are on the rise for this type of product in various applications. Since bio-composites have become popular these days, researchers have turned their attention to producing flame-retardant bio-composites. The main advantage of the bio-composite is its easy degradation process by naturally occurring bio-components. These types of composites can be partially biodegradable or fully biodegradable, and the rate of the degradability depends on the contents of the material. Partially biodegradable ones generally contain natural fiber as a reinforcement, along with a nonbiodegradable synthetic resin, while fully biodegradable ones contain either only biopolymers or a blend of natural fiber and biopolymer. Generally, flame-retardant bio-composites contain an additional flame-retardant filler material as well. This article will try to review the studies that have taken place on developing flame-retardant bio-composites and try to point out some key factors by which the properties of the end product may be controlled, so that the end products of the desired properties can be produced in further research.