Application status and development prospects of bio-based flame retardants in packaging materials

Packaging materials play the role of isolation and protection in product storage, transportation, sales, and other links. However, wood fiber-based and polymer-based packaging materials used for carrying, packaging, bedding, supporting, and reinforcing goods have the drawback of low ignition point, and flame retardant treatment is required for these materials. Aiming at the flame retardant treatment of wood fiber-based packaging materials and polymer-based packaging materials, the application of biobased flame retardants limits or eliminates the detrimental effects on wellbeing and environments which are usually the result of petroleum-based counterparts. In this paper, combined with the development status of biobased flame retardants in the flame retardant treatment of packaging materials, different biobased flame retardants are classified according to the types of functional groups, like bio-based polysaccharide, amino acid flame retardants, phosphate, and phenolic flame retardants. The modification methods, decomposition process, and flame retardant mechanism of different biobased flame retardants have been analyzed. What’s more, the advantages and problems in the development and application have been summarized, and new ideas are provided to develop biobased flame retardants with better performance and more environment-friendliness.