SBIR-STTR Award

AFFF agents are the most efficient fire fighting foams to extinguish hydrocarbon fuel fires, but have limited effectiveness for extinguishing rolling fuel fires and limited burn-back resistance. AFFF agents have also poor biodegradability caused by the high content of fluorocarbon surfactants. This is a proposal to develop parameters for an AFFF agent replacement with improved fire performance and less impact on the environment. Parameters to be established include chemical, physical, toxicological, and environmental parameters under static and dynamic conditions. A dynamic fire test will be proposed in collaboration with the Air Force or another branch of the military. Acceptable classes of potential components for the AFFF agent replacement will be defined. Specific components to be selected for formulation and evaluation purposes will include commercially available as well as developmental chemicals and polymers. Based on evaluation data to be generated which justify the recommended parameters, a fire fighting agent formulation with enhanced fire fighting capability and less impact on the environment will be developed in Phase II of AF93-009.

AFFF agents are the most efficient fire fighting foams to extinguish hydrocarbon fuel fires; however; they have a limited foam life an burnback resistance, poor biodegradability and have toxic effects on aquatic life forms. This is a proposal to develop AFFF agent replacements based on parameters which were established in Phase I of this project, which will have less of a negative impact on the environment with regard to biodegradability and toxicity and toxicity and which will have improved burnback resistance without sacrificing the superior fire extinguishing capabilities of AFFF agents. The AFFF agent replacements to be developed will be based on novel fluorochemical surfactants and additives, commercial hydrocarbon surfactants, other additives, solvents and water. They will have a significantly reduced fluorochemical surfactant content and will meet AFFF Agent MIL-F-24385F specifications, except that they will have better foam drainage, better burnback resistance and better biodegradability and less toxicity than specified in MIL-F-24385F.