California researchers develop advanced gel to protect homes from wildfires
During laboratory studies, a new gel protected a piece of plywood for more than seven minutes, when compared to traditional gels that lasted for less than two minutes.
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STANFORD, Calif. – Researchers at California’s Stanford School of Engineering say they have developed a new firefighting gel that outperforms other products, leading to the potential for greater protection of homes and infrastructure during wildfires.
The research, recently published in the journal Advanced Materials, showed that the gel’s lifespan was significantly longer than that of already available products and was more effective.
Firefighting gels are typically made of super-absorbent polymers that, when mixed with water, create a shield that can withstand extreme conditions.
"Under typical wildfire conditions, current water-enhancing gels dry out in 45 minutes," Eric Appel, associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, said in a statement. "We’ve developed a gel that would have a broader application window – you can spray it further in advance of the fire and still get the benefit of the protection – and it will work better when the fire comes."
The university said what makes the new product unique is that it gradually transitions into a solid material, providing the additive barrier.
US WILDFIRE ACTIVITY OFF TO SLOWEST START IN MEMORY
CALIFORNIA, USA - JULY 30: A view of flames as Park Fire of wildfires continue in Butte and Tehama Counties, California, United States on July 30, 2024. Park Fire has burned at least 387,000 acres as of Tuesday night. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"Once the water boils off and the cellulose burns away, the remaining silica forms a foam that insulates and protects the substrate beneath," Changxin Dong, the lead author of the study, stated. "This innovation offers a scalable and environmentally friendly solution that surpasses current commercial options."
During laboratory studies, a gel protected a piece of plywood for more than seven minutes, when compared to traditional gels that lasted for less than two minutes.
The National Interagency Fire Center reports that, on average, around 70,000 to 80,000 wildfires are reported to the agency every year.
The fires result in 7 to 10 million acres being destroyed annually, with well over 80% of all incidents that are thought to be human-caused.
According to NOAA, the number of acres consumed by wildfires each year has increased at a rate of around 1,000% and annually leads to billions of dollars in damage to homes, businesses and other infrastructure.
Damage from wildfires was estimated to be $81.6 billion from 2017 to 2021, which was nearly a 10-fold increase from 2012 to 2016 when just $8.6 billion worth of damage was done.
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It is unclear when the product will be widely for use by firefighters; however, the U.S. Forest Service said it is working to deploy the gel on a pilot-scale basis.
"There may need to be additional optimization, but my hope is that we can do pilot-scale application and evaluation of these gels so we can use them to help protect critical infrastructure when a fire comes through," Appel stated.
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