Phos-Chek
Encyclopedia
Phos-Chek is a brand of long-term fire retardant
s, class A foams, and gels
manufactured by ICL Performance Products in Ontario, California
and Moreland, Idaho
.
Phos-Chek fire retardant
s are manufactured as dry powders or as concentrated liquids and diluted with water prior to use. The retardant is applied ahead of wildfire
s to homes and vegetation by ground crews and aerial firefighting
units, either fixed-wing
or rotary-wing
aircraft.
It is currently produced as several colors, including an off-white color, red iron oxide, and a fugitive
mixture that is colored red when dispersed but gradually fades to an earth-tone when exposed to sunlight. The red color aids aircrews in targeting drops of retardant.
Some of the main components of Phos-Chek retardants include ammonium polyphosphate
, diammonium phosphate
, diammonium sulfate, monoammonium phosphate, attapulgus clay
, guar gum
(or a derivative of guar gum), and trade secret
performance additives. Fire retardants are manufactured as several different formulations with varying proportions of the above components.
The phosphate and sulfate salts act as fire retardants and prevent combustion of cellulosic materials. They also act as a fertilizer
once the fire danger has passed. Guar gum and clay are thickening agents to prevent dispersal of the retardant after it is dropped from the plane. Other ingredients include corrosion inhibitors and flow conditioners.
(ICL), and the Phos-Chek brand was renamed "Phos-Chek Fire Safety Group" and assigned to the Performance Products division of ICL (ICL PPLP).
Fire retardant
A fire retardant is a substance other than water that reduces flammability of fuels or delays their combustion. This typically refers to chemical retardants but may also include substances that work by physical action, such as cooling the fuels; examples of these include fire-fighting foams and...
s, class A foams, and gels
Fire-retardant gel
Fire-retardant gels are superabsorbent polymer slurries with a "consistency almost like petroleum jelly." Used as fire retardants, they can be used for structure protection and in direct-attack applications against wildfires.- History :...
manufactured by ICL Performance Products in Ontario, California
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...
and Moreland, Idaho
Moreland, Idaho
Moreland is a census-designated place in Bingham County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 1,278 as of the 2010 census....
.
Fire retardants
Fire retardant
A fire retardant is a substance other than water that reduces flammability of fuels or delays their combustion. This typically refers to chemical retardants but may also include substances that work by physical action, such as cooling the fuels; examples of these include fire-fighting foams and...
s are manufactured as dry powders or as concentrated liquids and diluted with water prior to use. The retardant is applied ahead of wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s to homes and vegetation by ground crews and aerial firefighting
Aerial firefighting
Aerial firefighting is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing...
units, either fixed-wing
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
or rotary-wing
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
aircraft.
Fugitive pigments
Fugitive pigments are non-permanent pigments that lighten in a relatively short time when exposed to light. Fugitive pigments are present in types of paint, markers, inks etc., which are used for temporary applications...
mixture that is colored red when dispersed but gradually fades to an earth-tone when exposed to sunlight. The red color aids aircrews in targeting drops of retardant.
Some of the main components of Phos-Chek retardants include ammonium polyphosphate
Ammonium polyphosphate
Ammonium polyphosphate is an inorganic salt of polyphosphoric acid and ammonia containing both chains and possibly branching. Its chemical formula is [NH4 PO3]n showing that each monomer consists of an orthophosphate radical of a phosphorus atom with three oxygens and one negative charge...
, diammonium phosphate
Diammonium phosphate
Diammonium phosphate is one of a series of water-soluble ammonium phosphate salts which can be produced when ammonia reacts with phosphoric acid...
, diammonium sulfate, monoammonium phosphate, attapulgus clay
Palygorskite
Palygorskite or attapulgite is a magnesium aluminium phyllosilicate with formula 2Si4O10·4 which occurs in a type of clay soil common to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the types of fuller's earth.-Name:...
, guar gum
Guar gum
Guar gum, also called guaran, is a galactomannan. It is primarily the ground endosperm of guar beans. The guar seeds are dehusked, milled and screened to obtain the guar gum. It is typically produced as a free-flowing, pale, off-white-colored, coarse to fine ground powder.-Production:Guar gum is an...
(or a derivative of guar gum), and trade secret
Trade secret
A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers...
performance additives. Fire retardants are manufactured as several different formulations with varying proportions of the above components.
The phosphate and sulfate salts act as fire retardants and prevent combustion of cellulosic materials. They also act as a fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
once the fire danger has passed. Guar gum and clay are thickening agents to prevent dispersal of the retardant after it is dropped from the plane. Other ingredients include corrosion inhibitors and flow conditioners.
Class A foam
Phos-Chek WD-881 is mixture of anionic surfactants, foam stabilizers, and solvents including hexylene glycol. As a fire-fighting foam, it is used as a short-term fire suppressant.History
The first Phos-Chek retardant product was available in 1962. The Phos-Chek brand belonged to the Monsanto Company until 1998, when ownership was transferred to Solutia Inc. In 2000, Astaris LLC acquired the Phos-Chek name. In November 2005, Astaris LLC was acquired by Israel Chemicals Ltd.Israel Chemicals
Israel Chemicals Ltd. , also known as ICL, is a multi-national Israeli manufacturing concern that develops, produces and markets fertilizers, metals and other special-purpose chemical products.-History:...
(ICL), and the Phos-Chek brand was renamed "Phos-Chek Fire Safety Group" and assigned to the Performance Products division of ICL (ICL PPLP).