Methods, systems and compositions for fire retarding substrates
AssigneesGaston International, Inc., Tintoria Piana US, Inc.
InventorsAndrea Piana, James L. Gaston
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A closed-loop system and process is used for applying fire retardant chemicals to fibers. Fibers are preferably positioned in a vessel such as a dye machine which circulates the fire retardant chemicals. After absorption of the fire retardant composition, non-absorbed fire retardant chemicals are recovered and re-used on subsequent batches of fibers. Recovery can be achieved by directing the non-absorbed fire retardant composition into a second dye machine containing additional fibers, or by extracting the fire retardant composition by centrifugation or other means, or by a combination of the two processes. The process is environmentally friendly, and allows for higher throughput on impregnating fibers with fire retardant chemicals.
Claims19
A process for applying a flame retardant composition to a first and second substrate each of which have at least a 5 weight percent of non-thermoplastic material, the process comprising:
- treating the first substrate in a first treatment vessel with the flame retardant composition which is free of dye or other contaminating agents;
- transferring a first remaining portion of the flame retardant composition from the first treatment vessel to a second treatment vessel;
- removing a first excess portion of the flame retardant composition from the first substrate;
- drying the first substrate to a first desired moisture content;
- treating the second substrate in a second treatment vessel which is different from said first treatment vessel with a flame retardant composition which includes the first remaining portion of the flame retardant composition transferred in said transferring a first remaining portion step;
- transferring a second remaining portion of the flame retardant composition from the second treatment vessel to the first treatment vessel;
- removing a second excess portion of the flame retardant composition from the second substrate;
- and
- drying the second substrate to a second desired moisture content.
A process for rendering fibers flame retardant, comprising the steps of:
- applying a flame retardant composition which is free of dye to a first plurality of fibers comprising at least 5 weight percent non-thermoplastic material in a first vessel;
- recovering flame retardant composition which is not applied to said first plurality of fibers in said first vessel from said first vessel;
- supplying said flame retardant composition which is recovered in said recovering step to a second vessel which contains a second plurality of fibers comprising at least 5 weight percent non-thermoplastic material for application to said second plurality of fibers;
- removing said first plurality of fibers from said first vessel;
- drying said first plurality of fibers;
- and
- recovering flame retardant composition which is not applied to said second plurality of fibers in said second vessel from said second vessel, and supplying recovered flame retardant composition to said first vessel after said removing step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.