Plastic/Fiberglass infused with Retacell®. No change in structure with a 1,600ºF blowtorch.

Xeriant, Inc. (“Xeriant” or “The Company”), an aerospace company dedicated to Advanced Air Mobility and associated specialty chemicals and materials, has completed the critical pre-certification testing of its eco-friendly Retacell® flame retardant on synthetic fabrics, the most common of which are derived from polyester, polyamide, polyethylene and polypropylene and produced on highly specialized equipment using various nonwoven extrusion and bonding techniques.

These polymer-based textiles have been widely adopted for their cost-effectiveness and durability, and are found in carpeting, upholstery and filtration products. Many of the applications, particularly transportation interiors and home furnishings, are regulated by strict flammability standards and often employ flame retardants suspected of being toxic to human health and the environment. Recently, the EU took steps to ban up to 12,000 toxic substances, including flame retardant chemicals, driving the demand for eco-friendly alternatives like Retacell.

“We are pleased with the progress our team has made in developing textile applications for Retacell. In initial tests, Retacell has been successfully applied to the polymeric material in the finishing process as a surface treatment spray. We will be presenting these results to a global textile manufacturer to ensure that the modified material meets their performance specifications as they phase out toxic flame retardants. The next technological iteration will be creating a Retacell bulk additive that can be incorporated during compounding, potentially reducing the overall manufacturing costs,” says Keith Duffy, CEO of Xeriant.

The global synthetic textiles market size was estimated at $60 billion USD in 2020 and is projected to reach $100 billion USD by 2028, according to a March 2021 report by Grand View Research. The same research firm values the global flame retardant market at $7.5 billion USD in 2020, which is forecasted to grow to $13.8 billion USD by 2028, based on a November 2021 press release.



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