A PFAS-free fire suppressant made with Maine wood could fight wildfires

By Kay Neufeld | Portland Press Herald | January 17, 2025

Read the full article by Kay Neufeld (Portland Press Herald)

“A University of Maine researcher had a lightbulb moment while watching news about wildfires raging through California in 2019. James Anderson saw clips of planes dumping out water to quench the flames, but wind kept blowing it away. At the time, Anderson was exploring the capabilities of sawdust that, when ground down to a microscopic level, turns into a watery goo. He realized the material — known as cellulose nanofiber or biogel — had all the right qualities to be an effective fire extinguisher.

What if the solution to fighting fires was using the same material that was burning?

The cellulose nanofiber quickly put out flames, stuck to surfaces for a long time, was much better than water at preventing fires from reigniting and is completely natural – free of toxins or forever chemicals called PFAS that harm people and the environment. With an added cherry on top, the machinery needed to produce it already existed. Maine is the No. 1 global public supplier of the material.”

This content provided by the PFAS Project.