scenario-based

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Combustion Products

Felicia St. Luce

Columbia Southern University

Fire Behavior and Combustion

Professor James Golden

The various components of soot include foams, textiles, paint, plastics, wool, wood, coal, oils, and other synthetic fibers. Even smaller than sand granules, the particles are incredibly tiny. Soot develops when these materials do not burn down during a fire or when a boiler, water heater, or furnace puffs back. There are different types of soot including oily, wet, dry, and protein soot. Since dry soot is an oxygen-rich type of soot, it forms when there is a hot fire burning. It is made of natural materials and damages surfaces more than other types of soot. However, its smell is not overpowering. Due to the particles' tiny size and their ability to hide in cracks and porous surfaces, it is exceedingly challenging to clean. When low heat fires lack oxygen, wet soot forms (Leonardi et al., 2022). This form of soot can be made of plastics, rubber, and oils and has high moisture content. It can easily be spread and has a very strong fragrance. This creates an impact on the rate fuel was burning, how the fire was attacked, and also rescue efforts. An important consideration for smoke obscuration is the level at which it seriously affects the ability of people to orient themselves and constructively identify a path to safety (Gann & Friedman, 2014).

Whenever one rubs their finger across a surface covered in soot and it streaks, it implies that they have wet soot. Puff backs emit oily soot that can attach to any surface. When too much fuel ignites inside a furnace's burner chamber, it might cause a minor explosion known as a puff back resulting in the presence of smoke and soot in the house. One runs the risk of this costly and harmful puff back if their gas or oil furnace is not properly maintained. Protein soot can form during cooking and is essentially invisible to the naked eye. This could result from kitchen fires, and because it is hard to see, the strong odor could be an indication that one has protein soot in their home. This soot is incredibly expensive to clean up and can damage your paint.

Aerosols are tiny particles in the air that may be released when people burn various types of fossil fuels, comprising coal, petroleum, wood, and biofuels. Pollution from companies and automobiles is a substantial artificial source of aerosols. For instance, an aerosol that collects on people’s windowsill in the form of black layers is definitely something that every human being is familiar with especially those who live in big cities. However, aerosols can also be created naturally, for instance, when trees or burning vegetation emit them (Schmale et al., 2021). Like greenhouse gases, aerosols can alter the Earth's “radiative,” or energy, balance, which significantly impacts the climate. By altering how much solar energy is absorbed in the atmosphere and how much is released back into space, aerosols can influence how much of it reaches the planet's surface.

References

Gann, R. (2014). Principles of Fire Behavior and Combustion. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284081879/

Leonardi, S. A., Miró, E. E., & Milt, V. G. (2022). Activity of Catalytic Ceramic Papers to Remove Soot Particles—A Study of Different Types of Soot. Catalysts, 12(8), 855.

Schmale, J., Zieger, P., & Ekman, A. M. (2021). Aerosols in current and future Arctic climate. Nature Climate Change, 11(2), 95-105.