Chapter 5: Green Synthesis of Organic Fire Retardants

Traditional synthetic methods of organic fire retardants include the dehydrochlorination reaction, ring-opening reaction, Mannich reaction, etc., which are often carried out in a large volume of toxic solvents (e.g., acetonitrile, dichloromethane, and triethylamine), and would lead to industrial waste and even threaten our environment without proper treatment. The post-treatment processes are also complex. For this reason, some efforts have been made to develop a green approach (e.g., solventless, self-assembly, etc.) for their synthesis. Aiming at the sustainable development of fire retardants, this chapter focuses on four representatives of organic fire retardants, including melamine cyanurate (MCA), triazine-based charring agents, (poly)phosphoramides, and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), providing a thorough summary of their green synthesis mechanisms, research progress, and production processes.