Emilio Aguinaldo College -Manila

1113-1117 San Marcelino St.

Ermita, Manila

Comparative Analysis : Effectiveness between the use of Alum and

Borax as an Alternative Fire Retardant Coating and the Fire Retardant
Coating Product that exists in the Market.

Guiyab, Angela Gayle

Mogol, Yluwei

Pirote, Chester

Ramos, Cyrille

Tobias, Racyl James

12 STEM-4

School Year 2019-2020

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Introduction

1.1.Background of the Study

According to the Study Fire Retardant Europe (FRE) 2018.,Fire Retardant was first

created around 400 B.C., but the need for them didn’t increase drastically until the 17th Century.

In 1735, The English patent no 551. was granted to Obadiah Wyld for perfecting a mixture of

chemicals used to treat wood, paper and textile for improving their fire resistance. This was the

first registered flame retardant in history.

Base from the study of specialist work clothing on 2014., Fire retardant is a substance

that composed of chemicals that are supposed to slow ignition and prevent fires. There are

chemicals that used as a fire retardant such as Alum, Potassium alum is used as a fire retardant to

render cloth, wood, and paper materials less flammable. Romans covered their boat with vinegar

and alum before encasing it with clay to prevent the spread of fire. Borax is also used as fire

retardant for it tends to reduce the flame spread, but it can promote smoldering or glowing.

Obadiah Wyld received a patent for the first flame retardant mixture of alum, ferrous sulfate

and borax to be used on fabrics. This formulation containing borates in flame retardants still has

merit today.

Fire retardants is used all over the world and it can be used in products made from

plastics, textiles, foams or wood, to delay ignition, slow down the combustion process, or even

make the material self-extinguishing. Therefore, they play a crucial role in fire protection. They

not only reduce the risk of a fire starting, but also the risk of the fire spreading, leaving more

time for people to escape.

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There are studies and tests that carried out in Europe and in the United States, Studies

confirm that flame-retarded materials can provide valuable escape time, as they slow down the

spread of a fire. For example, a series of tests performed on furniture in the United States showed

a longer ignition time in flame-retarded upholstery than in those without flame retardants.

Emmanuel Tupas stated in his article on 2018 that the Philippines Fire Hazard is

continually increasing. From 2013 to 2017, the BFP recorded a total of 77,724 fire incidents, or

an average of 15,545 fire incidents every year or 42 fire incidents a day. During the period, the

total estimated damage to property reached P23. 273 billion or an average of P4. 65 billion every

year. Its also increased by .84 percent in 2018.

Therefore with the increased presence of flammable materials in our homes,

transportation modes and products in our daily lives, the potential of fire hazard is increasing

that’s why the use of flame retardants makes sure that people have a prolonged evacuation time

and therefore they ensure that fewer people are killed or injured in fires.

This study aims to achieve the effectiveness of using alum and borax to make the

alternative fire retardant. This study also aims to compare the effectiveness of alternative fire

retardant to natural fire retardant in terms of durability, affordability, and efficiency. This study

is beneficial not just to us fellow researchers but also to those people who will read this research

for it can help to reduce the fire hazard especially in the Philippines.

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1.2.Statement of the Problem

This study aims to achieve the effectiveness of using alum and borax to make an

alternative fire retardant and to compare it to a fire retardant coating that exist in the market. This

study also pursues to answer the following questions:

1.) Is there an effective collisions when you mix alum and borax that can help to make an

alternative fire retardant coating?

2.) Is there a difference between alternative fire retardant using alum and borax and a fire
retardant coating product that exist in the market in terms of:

a.) Durability?

b.) Affordability?

c.) Efficiency?

3.) Is there a significant difference between the use alum and borax as an alternative fire

retardant coating and a fire retardant coating that exist in the market?

1.3.Scope and Delimitation

The study entitled “Effectiveness between the use of Alum and Borax as an Alternative

Fire Retardant Coating and a Fire Retardant Coating Product that exist in the market. ” will focus

on utilization of using Alum and Borax as an alternative to common Fire-Retardant Coating

.Further, the study will indulge through experimentation and test. Moreover, the results of the

study will be compared to the fire retardant coating that exist in the market. This study is only

limited to the analysis of the results by the experiment and test and will only circumscribe

subjects that is relevant to the study.

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1.4. Significance of the Study

Over the past decades fire incident are increase in number especially at the urban spaces

of the Philippines. This study will be a significant endeavour to the following:

Bureau of Fire Protection

This will be beneficial for the Bureau of Fire Protection, because the study is opted to test

the feasibility of the alternative fire retardant. As the study will be about the effectiveness and

advantages of the alternative fire retardant. This sector of the Government can recommend it to

the general public to use it to lower the probability of the hazard of fire incidents.

Local Urban Households

This will be beneficial for the Local households as the studies revolve about advantages

of the use of fire retardant. As the fire- retardant acts as a useful barrier that prevents the spread

of fire within a period of time in case of fire incident. In addition, it will lower the potential

damage of the fire.

Future Researchers

The study will be beneficial for the future researchers that conducted a study that will

revolves about fire retardant. As it will serves as their foundation and a source of information.

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1.5.Review of Related Literature and Related Studies

1.5.1 Foreign

According to (Synchwin). Fire retardant paint is designed to increase fire safety by providing

additional time to evacuate buildings in the event of fire. The gas prevents the fire from affecting the

underlying surface and so, fire retardant paint slows down the burning process. The coating can be

applied on critical areas that become fragile when exposed to high heat. For example, metal structures &

wood.

The fire-retardant properties of paint and coatings as well as other materials are measured by

grouping them into 30 minute and 60-minute fire prevention products.

Invisible fire-retardant paint for wood, timber and plywood

We all know that wood burns fast, yet it is a very common building material in the Philippines.

Today’s technology, fortunately, allows a formula for fire retardant paint for wood to make buildings

safer also in case of fire. Even though the paint for wood does not prevent the structures from catching

fire, it still drastically reduces the speed of burning.

The coating is suitable for wood, lumber, plywood and timbers for interiors or exteriors. Clear

fire-retardant pain for wood exists as lacquer-like hard finish, preserving wood treatment and clear fire-

retardant varnish for wood. It is one of the most popular fire preventing coatings because it does not affect

the appearance of the wood, but still provides appropriate protection from fire.

Protect steel structures from collapsing with fire retardant paint

It can take just a few minutes for unprotected steelwork in a building to attain temperatures of

around 550ºC in a fire. At this temperature, steelwork loses its load bearing capacity and the structure is

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likely to collapse, giving little time for people to evacuate and even less time for the fire service to bring

the fire under control. Fire retardant paint can protect these structures from hazardous situations.

This is again an example of meeting the Philippine safety standard criteria. The coating it will

allow developers to meet the outlined safety standard in a very cost-effective manner. The special paint

offers up to and including 120 minutes of fire protection and can be applied both on and off site. It is a

waterborne product with low odor, often chosen as the ideal solution for on-site application.

Based to (E. Rasit, L. Erkan, O. Ceman, & Y. Fatih). The effects of fire retardants paint on

combustion properties of fir (Abies bornmülleriana M.) were examined. For this purpose, fire retardants

paint was applied on the surface of test sample according to company’s suggestions.

Wood has many good properties from the point of view of processing, physical and mechanical

properties, aesthetic, environmental and health aspects. Wood continues to play an important role as a

structural material in today’s high-tech society. In many countries, wood is widely used as a building

material: in some areas as the main construction and decoration material (Toker et al., 2012).

As lumber and in reconstituted products, wood is commonly used for house siding, trim, decks,

fences, and countless other exterior and interior applications (Cassens et. al., 1991). Wood material has

several advantages such as good mechanical properties but shows a low fire resistance (Bednarek and

Kaliszuk 2007). Borates have several great advantages as wood preservatives as well as imparting flame

retardancy, providing sufficient protection against all forms of wood destroying organisms, have low

mammalian toxicity and low volatility, they are moreover colorless and odorless (Hafizoglu et al., 1994;

Murphy, 1990; Yalinkilic et al., 1999; Drysdale, 1994; Chen et al., 1997).

Combustion properties of wooden materials. Uysal and Kurt studied combustion properties of

oriental spruce (Picea orientalis L.) impregnated with boron compounds. A boraxboric acid 10% solution

was found to be the most successful fire-retardant chemical (Uysal and Kurt, 2005). Yapıcı et. al. studied

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the effects of pre treatment with boric acid, borax and Tanalith-E on combustion properties of varnished

oriental beech. It was shown that the highest mass reduction occurred in samples impregnated with boric

acid and varnished with polyurethane varnish (Yapıcı et al., 2011).

According to (T. Mariappan,). There is always misconception about inhibition of fire by using

coating of either fire retardant or fire resistance. Figure 1 shows the development of fire in a

compartment, which distinguishes the usage of coating in a stage of fire. For instance, the material

properties play an important role in prior to flashover, which will be controlled by fire retardant coatings

(ignition, flame spread, release of heat, smoke, and gases), whereas fire resistant coatings are mainly

predominated in protection of structures that occur after flashover, that is, phase of fully developed fire.

Post-flashover fires (temperature above 600°C) are considered as hazardous fires for structures.

Fire retardant coatings

In general, conventional organic surface coating is easily ignitable, melts, drips, and it may cause

severe injury and damage to the substrates in the event of fire. Therefore, coatings that are designed to

formulate should not contribute a significant amount of fuel to the fire and, at the same time, limit the

flame spread and smoke development. Fire retardant coating is one of the easiest, oldest, and most

efficient ways to protect the materials against fire. This approach does not cause chemical modification of

the substrate, but rather the formation of a protective layer which alters the heat flux to the substrate and

can inhibit its thermal degradation, ignition, or combustion.

Fire Retardancy of flammable materials

Typically, the flammable materials are easily combustible and rapidly growing in a fire (reaction-

to-fire), in terms of the spread of fire or propagation of fire, up the stage when flashover occurs in a

compartment. Flashover can occur quickly in seconds or slowly depending on the speed of fire growth

rate. Wood is the most frequently used combustible products in addition with polymers (plastics and

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rubbers), foams, textiles, cables, and fire reinforced composites. Three different kinds of methods, such as

clear or transparent varnish paints, pigmented intumescent reactive coatings, and surface impregnations

are utilized in wood to enable the restriction of growth and/or spread of fire.

According to (S.L,).The construction sector has evolved a lot in recent years and more and more

requirements are demanded when building a building. In addition to considering the sustainability and

isolation of buildings, the focus has also been placed on safety. In this sense, one of the most important

aspects is fire prevention.

The fire-retardant paint helps that fire does not spread in case of fire in a building. Therefore, it is

one of the most efficient measures to prevent fire spreading rapidly, as it contributes flame and smoke not

to spread. Fire-retardant paint is essential especially when it comes to residential buildings, since

containing fire allows people inside the building to have more time to leave it.

It is important to differentiate fire retardant paint from intumescent paint. The first one avoids the

spread of the flame, while the second one reacts when there is an increase in temperature in the building

by swelling and creating a thick layer of foam that insulates the elements that cover it, containing the fire

and preventing it from damaging the structure of the building.

The main characteristics of fire-retardant paint are as follows:

 It reduces flammability and combustion of building materials it coats.

 Fire-retardant paint does not prevent fires from occurring but delays the expansion of fires.

 There are different types and, depending on each type, it can be applied on metal, wood,

lacquered surfaces, etc.

 It is suitable for both indoor and outdoor surfaces.

 It can be applied with spray gun, brush or roller.

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A study conducted by K. Wally. The definition of a fire-retardant coating is not clear-cut and

often confused or interchanged with the term “fire-resistant,” but there is a distinction. A fire-resistant

coating doesn’t ignite or support flame when an ignition source is applied, while a fire-retardant coating

protects the substrate from burning. In performance-based testing, the mechanism of protection is

secondary to the result.

End uses for fire resistant coatings

Fire retardant coatings are largely used in two important parts of everyday life: occupancy and

mobility. By this I mean, fire retardant coatings are most used within the built environments we occupy or

the modes of transportation we use to move between them. The three most important application areas for

fire retardant coatings are:

 Building products: structural steel, interior and exterior cladding (wood, composite)

 Aircraft: interior/exterior (metal or composite) (wood – executive aircraft interiors)

 Public transportation: interior/exterior (metal or composite)

Key performance indicators and testing

Fire resistance is typically evaluated by impinging an ignition source on a test sample under

controlled conditions and measuring one or more of the following performance parameters.

 Flame Spread measures the extent of the burned surface from the original site of ignition.

 Self-Extinguishing is defined as the ability to extinguish a flame after the ignition source is

removed from contact with the test sample.

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 Smoke Density is an indicator of the optical density of the smoke generated from the burning test

sample.

 Smoke Toxicity requires specific chemical analysis for targeted toxic components in the smoke

generated during combustion.

 Heat Release uses calorimetry to determine peak and average energy produced by combustion of

the test sample.

Materials utilized to achieve fire retardancy

 Compounds that generate free radicals interfere with the oxidation/reduction reaction, driving

combustion and reducing the rate of burning until fire is unsustainable.

 Intumescent agents increase in volume and create an non-flammable char layer which insulates

and prevents oxygen from reaching the substrate.

 Fire retardants which absorb the heat of combustion when undergoing dehydration or

endothermic decomposition reactions act by cooling the flames below the ignition temperature.

According to (C. Future).Investigations into taming fire go back centuries and, as with most

things, it was the Chinese who first innovated solutions. They covered wood with vinegar and alum

before encasing it with clay to prevent the spread of fire, a tactic copied by the Romans to protect the

boats of the Empire thousands of years later.

Gay-Lussac’s Method

He described two methods of fire resistance, both of which involved the use of salts – ammonium

phosphates, a salt of ammonium and phosphates, and borax, a salt of boric acid. The former has a low

melting point, forming a protective glassy layer over the material allowing it to absorb more heat before

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catching fire. The latter salt broke down into a non-flammable vapor. His studies were revolutionary, but

the agents would wash out of fabrics rendering them impressive but ultimately useless for clothing.

The Modern Age

The development of flame-resistant fabrics didn’t really accelerate until the military found a use

for it. The American Armies Quartermaster Corp’s search for flame retardant uniforms allowed for a huge

injection of money and resources into research and development and advanced our understanding a great

deal. Commercial ventures also brought about the invention of methods that chemically altered the

cellulose molecules of the cotton increasing the fire resistance while maintaining strength and durability.

Changes in Legislation

The Flammable Fabrics Act of 1953 brought in strict regulations on how clothing was made and

sold commercially. Clothing was no longer made from flammable textiles and an immense amount of

money was invested developing flame-resistant clothing that could be made cheaply.

A study conducted by S. Kara. First, you'll need baking soda. This recipe will make a little over 1

cup of paint. For a quart of paint, quadruple the amount, but remember that it dries out quickly.

Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with 1 cup of latex paint. Make sure to mix it well—you’ll need the

consistency that my mixture had in the video. Lastly, add a few tbs of cold water.

Mix your ingredient until they create a thin, non-grainy texture. It takes a bit of time to dissolve

all the baking soda, but, as you can see in the video, once it’s dissolved it will look just like the chalk

paint you buy in stores.

This one cup of paint was more than enough to paint my end table and coffee table. I’m loving

how genuinely chalky they look (and how little I spent)!

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A study conducted in Wonder polis HQ. The first stop many kids make is the refrigerator. If

you've ever searched the refrigerator for food after school, you may have noticed that it also usually

contains all sorts of other items that don't make a good after-school snack.

The door full of condiments contains items that are usually only good if they're added to

something else. You're also likely to find other items that are used in the cooking process, such as

vinegar. You might also find a box of baking soda intended to absorb odors in the refrigerator.

If you can't find edible food, you might be tempted to conjure up your own concoction with some

of the things you found inside. Before you become a mad scientist in the kitchen, though, you should

know that some of those things might not make a tasty treat.

Take baking soda and vinegar, for example. Mixing those two ingredients will get you a reaction,

but it won't taste good. In the right amounts and containers, the mixture can even be downright explosive.

Baking soda and vinegar react chemically because one is a base and the other is an acid. Baking

soda is a basic compound called sodium bicarbonate. Vinegar is a diluted solution that contains acetic

acid. The baking soda and vinegar reaction is two separate reactions. The first reaction is the acid-base

reaction.

When vinegar and baking soda are first mixed, hydrogen ions in the vinegar react with the

sodium and bicarbonate ions in the baking soda. The result of this initial reaction is two new chemicals:

carbonic acid and sodium acetate.

The second reaction is a decomposition reaction. The carbonic acid formed as a result of the first

reaction immediately begins to decompose into water and carbon dioxide gas.

Just like carbon dioxide bubbles in a carbonated drink, the carbon dioxide (that formed as the

carbonic acid decomposed) rises to the top of the mixture. This creates the bubbles and foam you see

when you mix baking soda and vinegar.

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If you mix a large amount of baking soda and vinegar in a small container with a narrow opening,

expect an impressive eruption! Many science teachers use this simple chemical reaction to teach students

about chemistry. If you've ever made a homemade volcano as a science experiment, then you know

firsthand what happens when baking soda and vinegar react.

A study conducted by R. J. Linhardt. Several biobased fibers such as wood, sisal, jute, flax,

abaca, banana, oil palm, pineapple leaf, and bamboo have been studied as reinforcements for polymers.

Among natural fibers, wood was the most extensively and more frequently used reinforcement for

polymers. However, due to expensive manufacturing process of wood fibers, inexpensive and sustainable

alternatives such as agricultural waste have attracted considerable interest

Properties of the flame-retardant urea formaldehyde (UF) board made from saw dust fibers were

investigated. Flame retardant chemicals that were evaluated include boric acid (BA) and borax (BX)

which were incorporated with saw dust fibers to manufacture experimental panels. Three concentration

levels, (0.5, 1, and 5%) of fire retardants and 10% urea formaldehyde resin based on oven dry fiber

weight were used to manufacture experimental panels. Physical and mechanical properties including

water absorption, modulus of rupture (MOR), and modulus of elasticity (MOE) were determined. The

results showed that water absorption and bending strength decreased as the flame retardant increased. The

highest concentration of (BA + BX) enhanced the fire retardant more than the lower ones. Scanning

electron microscope and FTIR of composite panels were studied.

According to (U. Oneugbu, & V. N. Ejimofor). Fire is a worldwide problem which claims lives

and causes significant loss of properties. The effectiveness of potassium aluminum sulphate (alum) as

flame retardant on kraft sheet was studied by incorporating varying concentrations of it: 0.1M, 0.2M,

0.3M, 0.4M, 0.5M and 0.6M on the kraft sheet.

Loss of life and possessions caused by the fire hazards due to the use of polymeric materials has

aroused much concern among government regulatory bodies, consumers and manufacturers Zyon (1994),

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Irvine, Mc Cluskey and Robinson (2000) and Beyler (2001). Therefore, to meet multifarious applications,

flame retardants are used to reduce combustibility and suppress the smoke or toxic fume production from

the polymers. Flame retardants denote that material which when added to or chemically incorporated in

the formulation of flammable materials (mainly polymers), substantially suppresses/quenches the ease of

ignition or flame propagation of the material Kroshwitz, (1987). Flame-retardant can be classified as:

durable-finishes, semi-durable finishes and non-durable finishes. For a material to burn, the surface

receives heat from an external source as well as from the burning mass. Heat losses occur in two ways,

viz, that needed for the gasification of the polymer and by other usual methods of convection, conduction,

radiation, dripping, etc. The function of a flame retardant is to interrupt pyrolysis or combustion. Flame

retardancy can be achieved through the following agents Eboatu (1992) additives which evolve non-

flammable gases, such as carbon dioxide, water, hydrogen chloride, Sulphur dioxide, ammonia, etc. and

sometimes also raise the flash points of the gaseous pyrolysis. Again, there are materials capable of

forming glassy coatings on the pyrolysis/burning mass. Finally, there are materials forming low

flammable char. The aim of this study is to produce cheap and harmless flame-retardant that can rise the

ignition time of kraft sheet.

Materials

The molar mass of crushed alum which is K2SO4.Al2 (SO4)3.24H2O was first calculated as

948(g)mol-1 and was times by different concentrations of moles which are O.1M, O.2M, O.3M, O.4M,

O.5M and O.6M. An empty beaker was weighed on an electronic weighing balance for each

concentration of mole and the value was added to the sum got from multiplying the molar mass of alum

by different.

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1.5.2 Local

THE FEASIBILITY OF BOUGAINVILLEA (Bougainvillea glabra) LEAVES EXTRACT

AS AN ADDITIVE COMPONENT IN MAKING FIRE RETARDANT ENAMEL PAINT

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (2015), there have been 17,138 fire incidents

in the year 2015. The fire incidents involved structural buildings such as residential, industrial,

mercantile, storage, business, and education. It also involved forest and motor vehicular. The

ideal response time of BFP is five to seven minutes but it is not usually attained due to some

factors and these factors as stated by Vallejo (as cited by Mayuga, 2018) are traffic congestion,

obstruction of roads, and the narrow streets that the fire trucks are trying to pass by to get to the

affected area. One of the solutions to prevent the fire from spreading so that the time span

mentioned earlier will be expanded, making it enough for the firefighters to come on time, is by

using fire retardants. Fire retardants as defined by American Chemistry Council (2018) are added

to materials to slow down the spreading of fire.

According to Hopper (2013), they are often used in areas where a high degree of abuse

and variations in temperature are present, and fire retardants enhance this ability of enamel paint.

Usually, fire retardants contain chlorinated alkyds or brominated epoxy resin and filled

aluminum hydroxide. These antioxidants as defined by Cabarry (2013), provides protection

against oxidation during 2 THE FEASIBILITY OF BOUGAINVILLEA (Bougainvillea glabra)

LEAVES EXTRACT AS AN ADDITIVE COMPONENT IN MAKING FIRE RETARDANT

ENAMEL PAINT film exposure. However, according to Weil (2014), fire retardants are harmful

to health because of its chemical composition. It is said that the chemicals used in most fire

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retardant actually adds to the amount of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN)

that are given off during fire incidents. This study aims to make an organic fire retardant paint by

the use of B. glabra leaves extract. This plant has flowers that are used for ornamental purposes.

It is found growing throughout tropical countries. It has a thin paper-like bracts that is why it is

also called a paper flower with different vibrant colors also known as “Bunga kertas” and these

bracts or leaves from the axil of which a flower grows are rich sources of polyphenol

compounds, which act as natural antioxidants (Markandan, Abdullah, Musa, Subramaniam, &

Stockham, 2016). Due to the chemical components of B. glabra, its leaves extract will be

substituted as an additive component in making fire retardant enamel paint in order to avoid the

hazardous chemicals fire retardants have.

Utilizing Carbonized Rice Husk as

Component in Fire Retardant Wood Varnish

The Philippines is considered as one of the successful countries in agriculture.

Agriculture plays an important role in the country's economy. The Philippines is famous for its

crops like coffee, corn, coconut, etc. Along with these crops, rice tops the list and find it as

Filipinos' common staple food (Philippine Rice Research Institute, 2013).

Production of rice requires milling which is a popular machining process in the modern

industry because of its ability to remove materials with a multi-point cutting tool at a faster rate

with a reasonably good surface quality (De Lacalle, 2011). In this procedure, by-products of rice

are removed, such as the husk and the bran. Other by-products in rice production such as rice

straw also contribute in the challenge that is faced by the agriculture sector today, and that is the

disposal of these by-products (Damatty, A.A.E., & Hussain, I.).

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According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (2018), the number of fire incidents last 2017

reached a record high of 14,197 fire incidents in the Philippines. Fire incidents are mainly

occupied by residential houses, (Philippine Statistics, BFP) because most of the residential

houses in the country are made with light materials or mostly wood, whereas wood is a material

that is vulnerable to fire and can rapidly spread (Lowden, L.A. & Hull, T.R., 2013). In the

production of structures and furnishes, varnish coating on wood is applied. Varnishes are used to

achieve film for gloss, as well as to create a protective finish in the wood.

Rice husk ash has been widely utilized in different products such as building materials

(fibre boards), fuel, production of furfural, and as cattle feeds (The People’s University). Recent

studies had discovered that rice husk contains higher silica content, which results in better

thermal properties (Ekaputri & Antoni, 2016). In a study conducted by Hung (2013), results

show that rice husks present very good non-fire-aflame properties, which can be used in fire-

resistant applications.

The Philippines, being an agricultural country, may generate rice husk as an alternative

component in creating a fire retardant varnish. The country has a higher chance of making these

products because of the presence of rice husks in a larger quantity that would compensate to

solve both the agricultural problem and alarming fire cases in the Philippines.

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1.6.Conceptual Framework

Input Process Output

 Potassium
Alum (0.3
M)  Chemical Alternative Fire
 Borax (2.5 Mixtures Retardant Coating
table spoon)
 Paint ( 6 oz-
1 gallon )

1.7.Hypothesis

H0 : There is no significant difference between Alternative Fire Retardant Coating using

Alum and Borax and a Fire Retardant Coating product that exist in the market.

HA: There is significant difference between Alternative Fire Retardant Coating using

Alum and Borax and a Fire Retardant Coating product that exist in the market.

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1.8. Definition of Terms

Borax- a material that can be used as an additive to make an alternative fire retardant coating due

to its ability on suppressing flame spread.

Durability- The Alternative Fire Retardant Coating must have the ability to resist damage in a

long period of time.

Fire hazard- a risk of uncontrollable fire, that we want to lessen or reduce.

Fire retardant - A substance that is applied to fabric, wood, or other material in order to make it

resistant to catching fire.

Potassium alum - a crystalline solid, aluminum potassium sulfate, that will be used as an additive

to make an alternative fire retardant coating.

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List of References

Online References

 F. De Guia, F. Naval,I. Pichon, J. Mendoza, L. Faderagao, & P. Uy, (March 2019).THE

FEASIBILITY OF BOUGAINVILLEA (Bougainvillea glabra) LEAVES EXTRACT AS AN

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 R. J. Linhardt (Novembers 01, 2011). Effect of Addition of Boric Acid and Borax on Fire-

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