Wildfires are getting more severe and damaging all over the world. In 2023, nearly 12 million hectares were burned, setting a new record, 24% higher than the previous one. This made 2023 the worst year for global forest fires, with 2021 ranking as the third worst and 2020 as the fourth.
This shows a clear picture: catastrophic wildfires are becoming more severe, increasingly frequent, and widespread. This trend is evident across the US, Europe, and Australia.
Climate change is further exacerbating wildfire catastrophe by intensifying heatwaves and droughts, which create dry and hot conditions that help start and spread wildfires.
This is extremely concerning, as these wildfires add 5-8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. Additionally, forest fires are now causing the loss of almost 6 million more hectares of tree cover per year than in 2001. Moreover, fires now account for 33% of all tree cover loss, up from 20% two decades ago.
On top of it all, wildfires affect humans both directly and indirectly. While hundreds of people die from the fire every year, many more are either evacuated or permanently displaced from their homes.
Overall, wildfire incidents result in devastating losses to resources, infrastructure, the lives and livelihoods of people living around these areas, and the economy.
In order to effectively address and combat wildfires, we need environmentally friendly solutions that can improve wildfire management efforts, control wildfires within wildlands, and protect areas from damage.
Fire Protection Methods: Gels, Foams, and Retardants
There are several wildland fire chemical systems in existence to reduce the likelihood of ignition and protect homes and infrastructure. These systems are categorized by the US Forest Service as:
- Water-enhancing gels
- Foam suppressants
- Long-term retardants
Long-term retardants are usually supplied via aircraft over target landscapes after full constitution through water dilution. Their retarding effects are produced by chemicals like ammonium phosphates which have the ability to resist burning or slow the spread of fire. The efficacy of these retardants lasts as long as the chemical residue remains on vegetation.
As for water-enhancing gels and foam suppressants, they both work as short-term fire suppressants. These solutions are only able to resist fire as long as there is water, which means that once it evaporates from the applied materials, the fire resistance is also lost.
Among these, water-enhancing gels have been found to be exceptionally effective for protecting infrastructure.
Water-enhancing gels usually comprise superabsorbent polymers that possess the ability to strongly retain water as well as improve surface wettability. This way, these gels act very well as fire suppressants and barricades to protect homes and critical infrastructure in the wildland.
The swelling of the polymer actually increases the thickness of the water barricade, enabling a longer water-retention time. The ability to retain water for 30-60 min makes these types of gels very effective for indirect attacks to shield homes, buildings, and other structures ahead of wildfires.
Unlike the gels, foam has a shorter retention time of a mere 15-30 min and is unable to provide the same level of protection as gels for indirect attacks. This makes water-enhancing gels an eco-friendly and sustainable strategy to suppress wildland fires.
Given that they work so well, there are a lot of gels available in the market for use, which include Thermo-Gel, a popular fire-retardant gel that is used extensively in the US and Canada and is approved by the authorities. It is used by both homeowners and professional firefighting teams. The gel can be applied to structures, vegetation, and other surfaces and is effective up to several hours after application. It can be removed with water.
Barricade Fire Gel is another one that forms a thick thermal protective gel coating to protect your homes, structures, vehicles, and fuel tanks from being burned by fire. It is mixed with water to provide dead-stop fire protection and sprayed up to 24 hours before an approaching wildfire.
FireIce Shield provides a protective layer to prevent damages caused by ignition, burning, or charring. No-Burn Original Fire Gel, meanwhile, is a water-based fire retardant that can be applied to surfaces where it forms a barrier that resists ignition.
Innovative Gel to Protect Buildings During Wildfires
Water-enhancing gels tend to incorporate hydrogel materials. This is because hydrogels are polymers that can retain large amounts of water, making them effective at forming a barrier that resists fire.
Hydrogels’ cross-linked polymer structure, which makes them insoluble, is what enables them to effectively absorb and retain substantial amounts of water. This incredible capability of them to store water enables for increased cooling and wetting duration when the gel is put on surfaces like vegetation.
While an appealing alternative to foam suppressants and traditional long-term retardants, hydrogels are limited to a very short application timeframe during typical wildfire weather.
The thing is these materials rapidly dry and lose efficacy under wind and high heat, which are typical of wildfire conditions. This severely limits the practical usage of hydrogels and moreover, increases the risk for even those who apply these materials.
Source: Stanford Report
To address this limitation, researchers at Stanford have developed a water-enhancing gel to help prevent homes and critical infrastructure from being burned by wildfires, with much better results than the currently available solutions. According to senior author Eric Appel, who’s an associate professor of materials science and engineering in the School of Engineering:
“Under typical wildfire conditions, current water-enhancing gels dry out in 45 minutes.”
Published a couple of weeks ago in Advanced Materials, the new research has introduced a water-enhancing hydrogel platform that changes into a silica aerogel, a material drawing a lot of interest in the world of science and technology.
Silica aerogel is known for its optical transparency, high surface area, and low thermal conductivity, but more importantly its low bulk density with as much as 95% of its volume being air.
The resulting silica aerogel in the latest study came with exceptional insulating properties during heat activation, which helps expand the effective window of surface protection from ignition.
As per the study, these materials showcase barricade properties being improved by more than 5x compared to water-enhancing gel products that are currently being sold in the market.
The researchers formed these hydrogels via polymer-particle (PP) interactions between cellulosic chains (biopolymers) and colloidal silica particles. The PP interactions were actually revealed to be playing a key role in creating the heat-insulative aerogel shield effectively upon water evaporation.
As per the study, water inside these materials is lost rapidly when under flame impingement, which then leads to the formation of a robust solid silica network. This network acts as a robust physical barrier against fire.
Prolonging the protective effectiveness, according to the authors, is what differentiates their material from other wildfire suppressant technologies. And this is what will effectively address a gap in our ability to combat wildfires and protect critical infrastructure, noted the study.
Testing and Optimization of the New Fire Gel
Funded by the National Science Foundation along with the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation and Schmidt Science Fellows, the study from Stanford University has been successful in developing a sprayable gel that protects buildings from wildfire damage while lasting longer and being more effective than existing commercial options.
Having a broader window of application means one can spray the gel in advance of the fire and still get its protection. And when the fire comes, it is supposed to work even better.
The new platform has been in the works for years. Back in 2019, the same gel was used by Appel and the team to keep wildfire retardants on vegetation for a long time.
Calling the new development “serendipitous,” Appel explained that they were curious about the behavior of these gels on their own. So, they just put some on wood and then used a torch lying around the lab to expose it to flames. This resulted in a “super cool outcome” of the gel puffing up into an aerogel foam.
The thing is, water-enhancing gels use superabsorbent polymers for fire protection, which is actually similar to the absorbent powder found in your kid’s disposable diapers.
When these gels are mixed with water and then sprayed on a structure, say your home, they swell into a sticky and thick substance. The substance clings to the outside of the surface and produces a wet shield.
Due to the extremely dry and high-temperature conditions around wildfire causing the water locked in a gel to evaporate rapidly, the Stanford researchers also incorporated silica particles alongside a cellulose-based polymer.
So, when the gels are subjected to heat and water evaporates, these silica particles are left behind and assembled into a foam. The foam is highly insulative, preventing heat transfer. By spreading the heat, it “completely” protects the surface below it.
“This environmentally conscious breakthrough surpasses current commercial solutions, offering a superior and scalable defense against wildfires.”
– Changxin Dong, the study’s lead author
To assess the new gel, the researchers applied several formulations to plywood pieces and then exposed them to direct flame. The flame from the gas torch burns at a significantly higher temperature than wildland fires.
Testing revealed that the most effective composition of the team lasted over seven minutes before the plywood pieces started to char. This was far longer than the less than 90 seconds a commercially available water-enhancing gel lasted when tested in the same way.
“Traditional gels don’t work once they dry out,” said Appel, noting that unlike them, their gel continues to protect the surfaces it is applied to after all the water has evaporated and, when the fire is gone, can also be easily washed away.
While the team achieved initial success several years ago, it took a lot of engineering to optimize the formulation. Being made from non-toxic components also means it is “safe for both people and the environment,” said Appel. Additionally, the polymer in the gel easily breaks down by the soil microbes.
While there may be a need for additional optimization, Appel hopes to do a pilot-scale application and evaluation of these gels. This will enable Appel and the team to start using them to protect critical infrastructure when a fire comes through.
Click here to learn how AI and a growing ‘Occurrence Database’ will help tackle wildfires.
Companies Involved in Fire Protection & Materials Science
Given how critical it is to have effective solutions, there are a number of companies involved in various aspects of wildfire mitigation solutions.
For instance, PPG Industries and Sherwin-Williams offer fire protective coatings, while Ecolab is mainly focused on water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions, though it also provides fire and rescue services to a variety of industries.
Now, let’s take a deeper look into a couple of prominent names:
#1. 3M Company
3M produces a variety of fire protection products, including firefighting gels and foams. This diversified tech company is also involved in abrasives, masking systems, electrical markets, personal safety, roofing granules, industrial adhesives, paint spray products, advanced materials, automotive and aerospace, commercial solutions, display materials, and more, in addition to extensive R&D to create better products and solutions.
With a market cap of $72.3 billion, 3M shares are currently trading at $131.43, up 20.39% YTD. Its EPS (TTM) is 1.40, with a P/E (TTM) ratio of 93.93 and a dividend yield of 2.13%.
For Q2 2024, the company reported $6.3 bln in adjusted sales, which was down 0.5% YoY, while operating cash flow was $1 bln. GAAP EPS from continuing operations was $2.17, up 117% YoY. Adjusted EPS also went up 39% YoY to $1.93, while $786 mln was paid out to shareholders via dividends and share repurchases.
“We delivered another strong quarter with adjusted earnings growth up double-digits and robust cash generation.”
– 3M CEO William Brown
He also noted that their focus going ahead is on effectively deploying capital, increasing operational performance, and driving sustained organic revenue growth.
#2. Dow Inc.
Dow is involved in the production of advanced materials like superabsorbent polymers which are used in hydrogels. The company also offers a variety of products for fire resistance, including DOWSIL™ Smoke Seal 800SL, which is a silicone sealant that can help prevent the spread of smoke and flames between floor joints. Dow is also involved in packaging, energy, and consumer solutions.
With a market cap of $37.5 billion, Dow shares are currently trading at $53.51, down 2.43% YTD. The company’s EPS (TTM) is 1.62, its P/E (TTM) ratio is 33.11, and its dividend yield is 5.23%.
For Q2 2024, Dow reported $10.9 bln in net sales, which was a decline of 4% YoY, while sales were up 1%, driven by gains in Performance Materials & Coatings. The cash flow from operations was $832 mln, while free cash flow was $109 mln, enabling Dow to return $691 mln to its shareholders. Its equity earnings were up $9 mln sequentially. GAAP EPS was $0.62, while operating EPS was $0.68.
“The pace of the global macroeconomic recovery has been slower than expected. We remain focused on working capital, reducing costs, and matching our operating rates to current demand. We’re innovating with our customers.”
– Dow Inc. CEO Jim Fitterling
Conclusion
The uncontrolled burn of vegetation (i.e., wildfires) continues to cause havoc globally. Last year, wildfires that swept Canada’s woodlands reportedly released 647 megatonnes of greenhouse gases—more than what the seven largest emitting countries do annually. Then there’s the fact that nearly 80 million properties in the US are at risk of wildfire.
As wildfires continue to pose severe risks, there is a pressing need for constant research, innovation, and critical advancements, such as the hydrogels developed by Stanford University scientists. These technologies can help maintain effectiveness during wildfires and help safeguard homes, lives, and ecosystems.
Click here for a list of companies working on solutions to tackle the global warming menace.