Brominated Flame Retardants: The Invisible Heroes Protecting People, Property and Planet 

Oct. 9, 2024

Our increasingly connected world is made possible by electronic devices, many of which contain wiring and combustible materials that can pose fire hazards. As a global leader in fire safety solutions, Albemarle plays a vital role in making everyday products safer. 

During this Fire Prevention Week™, we take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to raising fire safety awareness worldwide. By partnering with leading brands across the value chain, we help enhance the fire safety of their products through innovative brominated flame retardants (BFRs) that are both effective and safe for their intended use, all while prioritizing environmental responsibility. 

Mobile phones, computers, charging cables, medical equipment, HVAC systems, vehicles, and the construction materials in homes and commercial buildings are just a few examples of products that rely on Albemarle’s BFRs as a critical line of defense against fire. 

While fire prevention may not cross your mind each time you use a device or appliance, flame retardants work behind the scenes as invisible heroes. They play a critical role in saving lives and protecting property by preventing or slowing the spread of fire. In an emergency, when every second counts, these solutions provide crucial extra time to react or escape. 

The Positive Impact of Modern BFRs  

When we refer to BFRs, "brominated" simply means “made with bromine.” These are flame retardants with bromine, an element that provides unique flame-retardant action. Bromine production comes from bromide, a low energy process that utilizes a naturally occurring form of the element bromine that is present in brine sources like seawater. In fact, nearly half of the world’s annual bromine production is dedicated to fire safety solutions, according to IHS Markit.  

 While there are various types of flame retardants, each with unique properties and compositions, brominated solutions have historically been the most effective for consumer products such as electronics, wiring, cables, construction materials, vehicles and more. 

Today’s BFRs represent generations of innovation, designed to maximize fire resistance while addressing concerns associated with earlier versions, ensuring both human safety and environmental responsibility. 

Compared to other flame retardants, like non-halogenated phosphorus-based solutions (PFRs), BFRs offer several key advantages: 

• They generate lower greenhouse gas emissions, as bromine production is less energy intensive. For example, the carbon footprint for SAYTEX® 8010 is 70% less than Bisphenol-A-bis(diphenylphosphate), BPADP  a flame retardant also used in electronic applications. 
• They are more conducive to the circular economy, as they can be recycled without losing their performance properties. 
• They have greater hydrolytic stability than PFRs, as PFRs are more prone to reacting with water at lower temperatures compared to BFRs. 

In addition, BFRs: 

• Deliver superior performance, meeting the most stringent fire safety standards for wires and cables in a wide range of electronic applications. 
• Have well-documented data on their health and environmental impact. 

"We deliver science-based data on flame retardants, allowing us to continuously innovate and advance our solutions. Our commitment is to enhancing fire safety through solutions that optimize flame retardancy while ensuring the well-being of people and the environment," said Bridget Goode, business vice president of fire safety solutions at Albemarle. 

A recent example of our innovation is SAYTEX ALERO™, a groundbreaking polymeric solution that helps manufacturers meet the fire safety requirements of an increasingly electrified and digital world.

As a global leader in the production of bromine and bromine derivatives, and with +45 years of scientific and manufacturing expertise of this essential resource, Albemarle’s SAYTEX^® line of modern BFRs are used in every day products providing fire safety for people all over the world.