Potassium Bicarbonate as a Fire Extinguisher

Potassium bicarbonate (also known as potassium hydrogen carbonate or potassium acid carbonate) is a White Crystalline Powder, odourless, slightly basic, salty substance with a chemical formula of KHCO₃. It is produced when carbon dioxide is passed through an aqueous solution of potassium carbonate

K₂CO₃ + CO₂ + H₂O → 2 KHCO₃

Potassium bicarbonate (298-14-6) has a variety of applications such as, as a fire extinguisher, in pharmaceuticals, in agriculture or mineral water. The focus of this blog is however on its role as a fire extinguisher. Potassium Bicarbonate is used as a Dry chemical powder in fire extinguishing agent for Class B and Class C type fires. Unlike its sodium counterpart, Potassium bicarbonate has much more of industrial application due to its effectiveness in decomposing at higher temperatures (between 212 and 392 °F) – which is prevalent in chemical fires.  Once it decomposes, potassium bicarbonate breaks down to form carbon dioxide.

2 KHCO₃ → K₂CO₃ + CO₂ + H₂O

Carbon dioxide is non-flammable and does not support combustion. Since it is heavier than air, CO₂ has the ability to smother fire by covering it and preventing oxygen getting to it. Potassium bicarbonate is the main component of fire suppression agents such as Purple-K, Monnex and Super K due to its effectiveness in dealing with fires.

Chemical Properties:

CAS number: 298-14-6
Appearance: White Crystalline Powder
Odor: Odorless
Physical State: Solid (at room temperature)
Molecular Weight: 100.12
Melting point: Decomposes at 292ºC

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