A use for Saponins and some possible Local Sources

Abstract

To extinguish a fire the normal method is to pour water on to the flames, but in great conflagrations of oil or spirits this is quite useless as they float on the surface of the water and continue to burn. With the increasing use of oil products throughout the world it has become necessary to evolve special methods of fire extinction. It is possible to extinguish burning petrol in a tank by applying small quantities of water in a finely atomised condition on the burning surface; the water forms a thin screen for the exclusion of air, an effect accentuated by the formation of steam. Another method of extinguishing burning petrol, and more especially fuel oil, is by bombarding the burning surface with water under pressure in a finely divided state, the particles of water in contact with the burning material forming a temporary but incombustible emulsion.