Method for Making Fire Retardant Materials and Related Products

Abstract

A method for making fire retardant material including fire retardant cellulosic insulation. The method includes an arrangement for adding one or more feedstocks and a fire retardancy chemical compound to a common blend tank prior to feedstock drying. The one or more feedstocks may include at least one virgin pulp stock feed and at least one recycled material stock feed. The amount and type of both the virgin feedstock and the recycled material feedstock is selectable. Old newsprint (ONP) may be one type of recycled material feedstock. Another suitable type of recycled material feedstock is old corrugated containers (OCC). The method further includes retaining the fiber feedstock and the chemical compound together for enough time to ensure adherence or impregnations of enough of the chemical to the fibers after the drying process. Fluffing or fiberizing of the treated fibers may be accomplished under less severe conditions than ordinarily employed when making conventional cellulose insulation.

1 . A method for making fire retardant fibers comprising the steps of:
 a. introducing a fiber feedstock to a blend tank;   b. adding a fire retardant chemical to the blend tank;   c. retaining the fiber feedstock and the chemical in the blend tank for a period of time sufficient to retain the chemical on fibers of the fiber feedstock after drying the fibers;   d. drying the fibers of the fiber feedstock to form a chemically treated pulp cake; and   e. fluffing the pulp cake to form the fire retardant fibers.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of fiberizing the fire retardant fibers after the fluffing step. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fluffing step is performed by introducing the pulp cake to a pair of counter rotating meshed blades to break up the pulp cake into the fire retardant fibers. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fiber feedstock includes a virgin pulp feedstock and one or more recycled material feedstocks. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein there is only one recycled material feedstock and it is old newsprint. 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fiber feedstock is old corrugated container. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fire retardant chemical is a borax, a boric acid or a combination of the two. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the fire retardant chemical is a combination of borax and boric acid. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the combination of borax and boric acid is about 9.4% by weight of the fire retardant fibers. 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of drying the fire retardant fibers after the fluffing step. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fiber feedstock and the chemical are heated in the blend tank to a temperature of about 120° F. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the fiber feedstock and the chemical are retained in the blend tank for about one hour. 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of adding an enzyme to hydrolyze the polysaccharides and starches present in the recycled feedstock. 
     
     
         21 . A fire-retardant fiber comprising:
 a. one or more feedstock components that have been pulped; and   b. one or more fire retardancy chemicals applied to the feedstock components after pulping and before drying.   
     
     
         22 . The fiber of  claim 21  wherein the one or more feedstock components include an organic material. 
     
     
         23 . The fiber of  claim 22  wherein the organic material is a recycled material. 
     
     
         24 . The fiber of  claim 23  wherein the recycled material is selected from the group consisting of old newsprint and old corrugated container. 
     
     
         25 . The fiber of  claim 21  wherein the fire retardancy chemical is a borate. 
     
     
         26 . The fiber of  claim 25  wherein the borate is formed of the combination of boric acid and borax. 
     
     
         27 . The fiber of  claim 26  wherein the combination of borate and boric acid is about 9.4% by weight of the fire retardant fibers.