Liquid fire blanket stops major fires / Highly effective additive

Dusseldorf, Germany (ots) - Powerful winds were whipping up the
flames, driving them closer and closer to Los Angeles, a city of
millions. Overnight, fire laid waste to almost 3,500 acres of
woodland and scrubland in Orange County. Thousands of people had to
flee and more than 2,000 houses were evacuated. Around 900 firemen
fought around the clock to contain the massive blaze, which broke out
in Anaheim to the east - only 40 kilometers away from the center of
Los Angeles.

- Cross-reference: photo (Demonstration for specialists) is
available
at http://www.presseportal.de/galerie.html

Bulletins like these are becoming a regular feature of
news broadcasts around the world. Every year thousands of
square miles fall victim to the ravages of fires on all continents.
In Siberia, the last major fire alone swept through more
than 54 million acres - approximately double the woodland
surface of the whole of Germany.

Water, the traditional means of fighting fires, is often pushed to
its very limits by such massive blazes. An innovative additive from
Degussa AG, the company that ranks number one in specialty chemicals
worldwide, is greatly increasing the effectiveness of water. When
added in just small quantities, Firesorb® (sold in the USA under the
brand name of Thermo-Gel®) is suitable both for fire-fighting and
for protecting prop2 creating essentials erty threatened by fire. If
applied directly to the fire, a concentration of just one to one and
a half percent is sufficient to act as an extinguisher. When used as
a preventive measure or where there is a danger that a fire could
spread to buildings and industrial facilities, adding a higher
concentration of between two and three percent provides an even
greater cooling and protective effect that also lasts longer. In
addition, the gel will then adhere even better.

Cool gel smothers the fire

- Cross-reference: photo (Firesorb® - Easy to handle) is available
at http://www.presseportal.de/galerie.html

Firesorb® is a liquid polymer preparation that can absorb many
times its own weight in water, creating a heat-shielding gel that can
adhere even to ceilings and vertical walls.Because of its high
viscosity, the Firesorb® gel takes a long while to drain away from
the burning material, so it stays effective for longer. The
protective film assimilates the heat of the combustion on the
surface, while the protective capabilities underneath remain
unaffected. “Water with our product added acts as a liquid fire
blanket,smothering the fire by sealing out the air and creating a
cooling effect”, explains Ralf Röhlen, Product Manager for Firesorb®
at Degussa.

In California, entire firebreaks were created with the
chemical additive to stop the fire encroaching further - and to
outstanding effect. The flames suffocated as soon as they reached the
“gelled” areas. “Firesorb® also prevents soil erosion during forest
fires and saves huge amounts of water”, emphasizes Manuel
S.Lamborena, Director of the Fire Department Park in the Spanish town
of Castro Urdiales. Here in the Province of Cantabria major fires
have been a regular occurrence over the past few years. The additive
provides yet another advantage for nature – it has been classified
into German water-hazard category 1, which is the lowest class.

- Cross-reference: 5 photos (Impressive series of experiments)
are available
at http://www.presseportal.de/galerie.html

Firesorb® is a concentrate made from superabsorbent
polymer particles that are lightly pre-swelled with water.
Because they are wrapped in a special biodegradable oil the
polymers are prevented from absorbing further amounts of
water. The additive can be transported and handled very easily
in this form. As soon as it is added to larger amounts of water,
water binding accelerates drastically, and stirring or pumping
increases this effect even more. This is what makes
Firesorb® particularly effective, especially in situations where
every second counts.Even as the fire-fighting water is pumped
up through the hoses or pipes it acquires the property that
makes it a ready-to-use gel by the time it reaches the spray
head (nozzle). And it offers yet another benefit: fire departments
need no particular special equipment.

And what is also very important is that the concentrate is
not particular about the kind of water it will work with.
Whether city water supplies, groundwater or spring water, they
are all suitable water sources, as are surface waters such as
streams, rivers and lakes - crucially important when it comes
to deploying fire-fighting planes and helicopters.

- Cross-reference: 2 photos ("Scene of crime") are available
at http://www.presseportal.de/galerie.html

In addition to its use in fighting forest fires, Firesorb® is also
ideally suited for combating dangerous, highly energy-rich
fires.These are the kind that can occur in the plastics industry,
and in waste incineration and processing plants, tire warehouses
and power stations. In such instances water may
evaporate before it even reaches the seat of the fire.But the
extinguishing agent containing the Firesorb® additive will
reach its target,where the gel film immediately seals out oxygen
from the burning material and ensures an intensive cooling
effect. This is also the major difference to extinguishing
foam, which contains a great deal of air. The ambient temperature
of the fire is effectively lowered immediately.Hot, often
toxic, particles in the fire smoke are kept down and under
control.There is also a positive side effect particularly where
buildings are involved:because Firesorb® requires far less water,
the damage caused by the fire-fighting water is usually
much less extensive.

Amazing effect in the shortest period

Numerous test demonstrations conducted by Degussa
have fired the enthusiasm of even “old hands“ dedicated to
the service of the general public in voluntary or professional
fire departments. Experiments with fires using plastics and
tires tell their own story: burning bottle crates were extinguished
in as little as ten seconds, and a stack of 50 car tires
was set ablaze and the fire put out in 44 seconds. Conventional
extinguishing agents take much longer and require a
great deal more of the agent involved.“Even seasoned firefighters
are regularly surprised by how fast the fires can be put
out“, explains Günther Kirchner, Fire Department Chief from
Obing in Upper Bavaria, who has tested Firesorb® in practice
with great success.

The polymer preparation is produced at Degussa's Krefeld
site by the internal start-up Creasorb, a part of Creavis
Technologies & Innovation where the specialty chemicals
company has pooled the setting up of new strategic business
fields.Further development was also done here, after the
water-retention abilities and thickening effect of cross-linked
polyacrylates, the superabsorbers,were recognized. “However,
these granulates are not suitable for direct fire-fighting use.
So we had to find special solutions - so-called emulsion polymers
- that can work with the dosing technology the fire
departments use”, comments Dirk Regett, Head of Creasorb.

The extinguishing agent can be ordered in Germany
round the clock for use in emergencies. A nationwide dealer
network means that emergency services can always get hold
of Firesorb® at short notice.For bigger blazes larger quantities
are stored at four sites in Germany (Hamburg,Marl, Viersen
and Heidelberg). The roll-off container kept at the Viersen fire
department, loaded up ready with 5,200 kilos of Firesorb®
and a large dosing unit (1,000 liters per minute), can be ready
for action within around 15 minutes after it has been requested.
Logistics vehicles and trailers stand ready at the other
three sites to transport Firesorb® and dosing technology on
demand to the scene of the fire.

Increasing demand

- Cross-reference: photo (Giant extinguisher) is available
at http://www.presseportal.de/galerie.html

Firesorb® has already demonstrated its value many times
over as a means for fighting and preventing fires, and is proving
to be an innovative supplement to conventional extinguishing
agents.Demand is constantly on the rise. In the USA
the Degussa partner company of Thermo Technologies, LLC
(Bismarck, North Dakota) is even selling homeowner kits that
families can use to protect their own homes. “The costs for an
average-size building are around 1,000 dollars”, reports Ralf
Röhlen. That may not seem like peanuts at first glance but it is
definitely a cost-effective solution when the value of all the
assets at risk is taken into account - and that applies not just
to the inhabitants of Los Angeles.

TV journalists can phone +49 611- 890 38 10 to order a film in
professional format about Firesorb® (no rights reserved).

Degussa is the global market leader in specialty chemicals. Our
business is creating essentials–innovative products
and system solutions that make indispensable contributions to our
customers’ success. In fiscal 2005 around
44.000 employees world-wide generated sales of 11.8 billion euros and
operating profits (EBIT) of 940 million euros.

Originaltext: Degussa AG
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ISIN: DE0005421903

Contact:
Hannelore Gantzer
Spokeswoman
Corporate Communications
T +49-211-65041-368
F +49-211-65041-527
hannelore.gantzer@ degussa.com

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