Short-chain and long-chain fluorosurfactants in firefighting foam: a review

Peshoria, Shruti; Nandini, Durgesh; Tanwar, Rajesh Kumar; Narang, Rajiv

doi:10.1007/s10311-020-01015-8

Cited by 46 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 159 publications

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“…Therefore, aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) which have excellent thermal stability and are capable of forming a film that sits on top of the fuel are used to extinguish this class of fires. Typical ingredients of aqueous film-forming foam are water, organic solvents, hydrocarbon surfactants, fluorosurfactants, polymers, and other additives (Peshoria et al, 2020). AFFF was developed in the 1960s and has been utilized to extinguish Class B fires ever since (Darwin et al, 1995).…”

Section: Aqueous Film-forming Foamsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Usually, substances degrade or become immobilized when released into the environment but perfluorinated substances experience neither. Hence, these substances are highly soluble, transferable, and bioaccumulative (Peshoria et al, 2020). Bioaccumulation occurs when substances have affinity towards the biological component such as fat and protein and are stored in the fatty regions (Liu et al, 2011).…”

Section: Aqueous Film-forming Foamsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Elimination of long-chain fluorosurfactants, while continuing to deliver the unique and valuable properties of fluorosurfactants, led manufacturers to develop short-chain alternatives (Peshoria et al, 2020). Studies have shown that short-chain alternatives have a less impact on environment and human health compared to long-chain chemistry (EI Corporation, 2014;Buck, 2015).…”

Section: Aqueous Film-forming Foamsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Firefighters’ exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as an occupational hazard: A review

et al. 2023

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The term “firefighter” and “cancer” have become so intertwined in the past decade that they are now nearly inseparable. Occupational exposure of firefighters to carcinogenic chemicals may increase their risk of developing different types of cancer. PFAS are one of the major classes of carcinogenic chemicals that firefighters are exposed to as occupational hazard. Elevated levels of PFAS have been observed in firefighters’ blood serum in recent studies. Possible sources of occupational exposure to PFAS include turnout gear, aqueous film-forming foam, and air and dust at both the fire scene and fire station. Preliminary discussion on PFAS includes definition, classification, and chemical structure. The review is then followed by identifying the sources of PFAS that firefighters may encounter as an occupational hazard. The structural properties of the PFAS used in identified sources, their degradation, and exposure pathways are reviewed. The elevated level of PFAS in the blood serum and how this might associate with an increased risk of cancer is discussed. Our review shows a significant amount of PFAS on turnout gear and their migration to untreated layers, and how turnout gear itself might be a potential source of PFAS exposure. PFAS from aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF), air, and dust of fire stations have been already established as potential exposure sources. Studies on firefighters’ cancer suggest that firefighters have a higher cancer risk compared to the general population. This review suggests that increased exposure to PFAS as an occupational hazard could be a potential cancer risk for firefighters.

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Section: Aqueous Film-forming Foamsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Aqueous Film-forming Foamsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Aqueous Film-forming Foamsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Firefighters’ exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as an occupational hazard: A review

et al. 2023

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“…Therefore, fluorinated surfactants are widely used in fire‐fighting foam, textile, leather, coatings, inks, and electroplating processing (Jia et al, 2019; Kissa, 2001; Pereiro et al, 2013; Zaggia & Ameduri, 2012). Especially in the field of fire‐fighting foam, fluorinated surfactants are a key ingredient of aqueous film‐forming foams (AFFFs) (Jia et al, 2019; Peshoria et al, 2020). Fluorinated surfactants can significantly improve the surface activity and spreading properties of AFFFs, thereby enhancing the fire extinguishing and burn‐back performance of AFFFs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is well known that long‐chain fluorinated surfactants of chain length ≥8 are suitable for preparing AFFFs in terms of their excellent physical and chemical properties. Compared to long‐chain fluorinated surfactants, short‐chain fluorinated surfactants (chain length ≤6) also show high‐thermal stability and chemical stability (Chambers, 2004), low‐surface tension values between 15 and 20 mN/m (Peshoria et al, 2020), and low critical micelle concentration, CMC (López‐Fontán et al, 2005; Sha, Xing, et al, 2015). Our previous studies have found that AFFFs based on fluorinated surfactants with a chain length of four carbons exhibited excellent physicochemical properties and fire extinguishing performance (Jia et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The physicochemical and fire extinguishing performance of aqueous film‐forming foams based on a class of short‐chain fluorinated surfactants

Zhu

Jia

Zhang

2021

J Surfact & Detergents

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Aqueous film‐forming foams (AFFFs) are an important for fire extinguishing, and their key ingredient is fluorinated surfactant. In recent years, traditional long‐chain fluorinated surfactants have been banned by most countries because of their persistence, bio‐accumulation and toxicity. Therefore, increased attention has been paid to the research and development of short‐chain fluorinated surfactants. As is well known, the introduction of hydrophilic or hydrophobic groups in a surfactant affects its surface activity, and therefore, the fire extinguishing performance of AFFFs. In this work, a series of short‐chain fluorosurfactant‐based AFFFs with different hydrophobic chain lengths were prepared. The physicochemical performance of mixed systems (fluorinated surfactant plus sodium hexanesulfonate), including surface activity, spreading ability, foam expansion, drainage time, and the fire extinguishing and burn‐back performance of AFFFs were studied. The results show that the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the surface tension (γCMC) at the CMC of mixed systems at 25°C are lower than 7.68 mmol/L and 16.51 mN/m, respectively. For mixed systems, the average spreading rate is more than 1.09 cm/s, the foam expansion is over 7.1, and the drainage time is greater than 3.28 min. The fire extinguishing time of AFFFs on fuels is less than 51 s while the burn‐back time is more than 15.18 min. The results imply a potential application prospect of the short‐chain fluorinated surfactants in AFFFs.

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Water‐Enhancing Gels Exhibiting Heat‐Activated Formation of Silica Aerogels for Protection of Critical Infrastructure During Catastrophic Wildfire

Dong,

d'Aquino,

Sen

et al. 2024

Advanced Materials

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A promising strategy to address the pressing challenges with wildfire, particularly in the wildland‐urban interface (WUI), involves developing new approaches for preventing and controlling wildfire within wildlands. Among sprayable fire‐retardant materials, water‐enhancing gels have emerged as exceptionally effective for protecting civil infrastructure. They possess favorable wetting and viscoelastic properties that reduce the likelihood of ignition, maintaining strong adherence to a wide array of surfaces after application. Although current water‐enhancing hydrogels effectively maintain surface wetness by creating a barricade, they rapidly desiccate and lose efficacy under high heat and wind typical of wildfire conditions. To address this limitation, unique biomimetic hydrogel materials from sustainable cellulosic polymers crosslinked by colloidal silica particles are developed that exhibit ideal viscoelastic properties and facile manufacturing. Under heat activation, the hydrogel transitions into a highly porous and thermally insulative silica aerogel coating in situ, providing a robust protective layer against ignition of substrates, even when the hydrogel fire suppressant becomes completely desiccated. By confirming the mechanical properties, substrate adherence, and enhanced substrate protection against fire, these heat‐activatable biomimetic hydrogels emerge as promising candidates for next‐generation water‐enhancing fire suppressants. These advancements have the potential to dramatically improve the ability to protect homes and critical infrastructure during wildfire.

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Short-chain and long-chain fluorosurfactants in firefighting foam: a review

Cited by 46 publications

References 159 publications

Firefighters’ exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as an occupational hazard: A review

Firefighters’ exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as an occupational hazard: A review

The physicochemical and fire extinguishing performance of aqueous film‐forming foams based on a class of short‐chain fluorinated surfactants

Water‐Enhancing Gels Exhibiting Heat‐Activated Formation of Silica Aerogels for Protection of Critical Infrastructure During Catastrophic Wildfire

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