Czech scientists develop fire retardant for archival boxes

A research team from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague (VŠCHT), Brno University of Technology (VUT), the Fire Protection Technical Institute (TÚPO), and the company EMBA has developed a fire retardant specifically for cardboard archival boxes. The goal is to protect rare manuscripts, historical documents, and books from fire damage until firefighters arrive.

Demonstration tests showed that boxes treated with the retardant—a mixture containing highly purified bentonite or muscovite mica applied via screen printing—delayed fire spread by approximately two minutes compared to untreated boxes. This delay is critical, as many archival facilities lack advanced fire suppression systems; research indicates only about 5% of storage repositories are equipped with stable fire extinguishing systems, while 53% have electronic fire signaling.

The project aims to transition this technology from laboratory research to industrial-scale production, providing a cost-effective way to enhance document safety without requiring expensive structural modifications to archival buildings.