# Durability Assessment of Eco-Friendly Intumescent Coatings Based on Cork and Waste Glass Fillers for Naval Fire Safety

## TL;DR

This study explores eco-friendly fire coatings made from cork and recycled glass, showing they perform well even after long UV exposure, offering sustainable options for naval fire safety.

## Contribution

The study introduces sustainable intumescent coatings using cork and waste glass, demonstrating their durability and enhanced fire resistance after UV aging.

## Key findings

- Functionalized coatings showed suitable intumescent behavior and formed protective char layers after 600 h of UV exposure.
- RG-IC and CK-IC batches improved in intumescent properties with UV exposure, with RG-IC samples showing a doubled foamed cross-sectional area.
- AP-IC system achieved significantly lower maximum temperatures (e.g., 167.3 °C) compared to commercial references.

## Abstract

This research assessed novel, eco-friendly intumescent coatings utilizing cork and recycled glass as sustainable alternatives to synthetic fire retardants, aiming to reduce environmental impact while maintaining robust fire performance. Coatings underwent up to 600 h of UV light exposure for durability assessment, followed by chemo-physical characterization. Fire exposure tests evaluated in-situ char formation and foaming. All functionalized coatings exhibited suitable intumescent behavior, forming protective char layers even after extensive UV aging. Microscopic analysis showed good additive integration, while FTIR spectroscopy revealed UV-induced chemical changes. Fire resistance tests confirmed the superior performance of functionalized coatings over the commercial reference. The AP-IC system demonstrated the best intumescence, achieving significantly lower maximum temperatures (e.g., 167.3 °C for AP-IC-600) and heating rates. Crucially, the sustainable RG-IC and CK-IC batches showed promising intumescent properties, even improving with UV exposure. Notably, the foamed cross-sectional area of the aged RG-IC samples doubled compared to their unaged counterparts, reaching a maximum temperature of 166.9 °C. These findings highlight the potential of eco-friendly hybrid coatings to enhance fire safety, particularly in critical sectors like naval engineering, aligning with circular economy principles and the growing demand for sustainable, high-performance materials.