Scientists develop material to reduce fire risk in buildings

Fire risks in buildings might be reduced with the development of a new material that can withstand temperatures in excess of 110⁰C.

Liquid granite has been developed by scientists as Sheffield Hallam University and is similar to concrete however unlike concrete it does not explode when exposed to very high temperatures and has a four-hour fire rating.

The material is made up of between 30% and 70% recycled material, and uses less than one third of the cement used in precast concrete, which in turn reduces its carbon footprint. It has already been specified on projects including the Olympic Village.

Professor Pal Mangat, director of the Centre of Infrastructure Management at Sheffield Hallam University, says: "Liquid granite is a very versatile material that can be used in a similar way to concrete. The product replaces most of the cement in standard concrete with a secret formula of products to change the basic properties of the material”.