Testbed PFAS - PFAS-free fire fighting

Testbed PFAS - Fire fighting

The future-oriented research in Testbed PFAS is focusing on finding PFAS-free fire fighting methods that put out liquid fires as effectively as extinguishers containing PFAS. Until today, the use of fire extinguishers containting PFAS has been widely spread. This depends on the extraordinary extinguishing performance of fire extinguishing foams containing PFAS. These foams are also called film-forming foams, which derives from the fact that a film is formed between the foam and the burning liquid. In this way the foams are putting out the fire both quickly and completely.

Research in several steps

The research of finding and evaluating PFAS-free fire fighting methods is organised in a series of different tests. At first, interested companys apply for testing their fire extinguishing agents and/or fire fighting methods. From these applications, a first selection of participants is made. This first selection of testers are introduced to the testing program by participating in a number of standardized tests. These tests are then followed by less standardized tests, with a higher degree of freedom. When these basic test steps have been evaluated, a new selection of testers is made for the final large-scale tests.