XYLOGLUCAN AS A SUSTAINABLE BIO-BASEDBINDERFOR CONDENSED AEROSOL FIRE SUPPRESSION
Condensed aerosol fire extinguishing systems (CAFES) are a leading halon-free option for protecting enclosedspaces, but the binder that holds their pyrotechnic charge together remains largely petrochemical. This worktestswhether an unmodified plant polysaccharide can replace such a binder without loss of firefighting performance. Dextrin and xyloglucan were each loaded at 3 wt.% into a gallic acid-KNO3-KClO3 aerosol-forming composite andcompared, under identical conditions, with carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (CMC) and hydroxyethyl cellulose(HEC). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), bomb calorimetry, uniaxial compression testing, and 4.57 kW n-heptane pool-fire trials were used to rank the formulations. Xyloglucan gave thebest overall performance: burn rate 5.72 mm s -1 , ignition at 217 °C, flame temperature 418 °C, compressive modulus184 MPa (31% above the CMC benchmark), and extinction of the pool fire in 35 s, whereas the CMC-boundcomposite failed to extinguish it. Its favourable oxygen balance (−117.7%) contributes to its fast burn rate, thoughsuppression performance ultimately tracked extinction time and mechanical strength more closely than oxygenbalance alone. Because xyloglucan is recovered without derivatisation from tamarind kernel powder, an agro- processing residue, its use removes hazardous synthesis reagents from the binder supply chain. The study suppliescomparative evidence for substituting renewable feedstocks for synthetic binders in energetic formulations andidentifies compressive modulus as a practical selection criterion alongside extinction time. The work is alignedwithSDG-12: Responsible Consumption and Production
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