An environmentally sustainable way to render the wood used in construction flame retardant has been developed at a New York University.

Guided by Miriam Rafailovich, a professor in the Department of Materials Science at the Stony Brook University, Tehila Stone an undergraduate student, Daniel Kim and Noah Davis, high school seniors, were able to research and develop the patent-pending retardant.

The flame retardant is a phosphor-based material safe for the environment.

The researchers engineered a compound that impregnates wood’s natural structure, forming a wood-plastic composite that exceeds UL 94 V-O criteria for safety of flammability.

“The breakthrough was in the formulation of a compound that extinguishes a flame without decomposing into toxic byproducts,” says Rafailovich.

The retardant has major implications for the construction industry.

“What interested me the most was that it could be used to safeguard homes and buildings. The idea that the world can really benefit from flame retardant wood was my greatest motivation for this project,” says Kim.

The project was an interdisciplinary effort which required the assistance of Dr. Marcia Simon, Professor and Director for Graduate Studies in the Department of Oral Biology and Pathology at the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine.

Simon helped design the toxicology testing and evaluate EPA reports.

“The students chose to use resorcinol bis(diphenyl phosphate) (RDP), which the EPA has declared a preferred substitute for halogenated flame retardants,” she says.

“Preliminary data in our laboratory confirms that when RDP is reacted with cellulose, or clays, such as was done by the students, it is safe and non-cytoxic.

“Although the finished product is safe, in vitro tests suggest that the unreacted RDP liquid, used in industrial plants, can be cytotoxic and should be handled with care,” she adds.