Flame Retardancy of Cotton Fabric Based on Chicken Eggshells

The objective of this research is to produce an ecofriendly flame-retardant based on chicken eggshell applied by dip-coating method on cotton fabric. A powder of white eggshell was characterized: Optical microscopic observation of raw eggshell powder was carried out. Particles present an heterogeneous shape and size with an average of 70.53 µm of diameter. XRF results showed that the raw eggshell studied contains 94.25% CaCO3 and 2.8% MgO as well as other trace elements. The effect of chicken eggshell content and dip-coating process parameters: temperature, number of impregnations and squeezing rate were analyzed for flame retardancy of a plain weave cotton fabric. The optimal process obtained in regards to flame retardancy and wash fastness is: a particle content of 1.2%, double impregnation and 100% dewatering rate. A treatment bath temperature of 30 °C ensures good wash fastness even during 40-min wash cycle. The flame propagation speed was initially equal to 1.5 mm/s and became approximately 0.27 mm/s for a treatment bath temperature of 30 °C, and guarantees wash fastness after the various wash cycles.