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Despite significant progress having been made in the study of flame retardancy of cellulosic building materials, the quest to find the ideal flame retardant material still continues. This review paper explores various options to substitute halogenated flame retardants by halogen-free alternatives in green building materials. Conventional flame retardants do not chemically react with cellulosic building materials such as bamboo. Owing to this, they remain an extraneous part of the substrate and could easily leach out due to various factors leading to low efficiency of the flame-retardant action. Durability of flame retardancy can be ensured by applying an additive that would chemically react with at least one of the ingredients of the green building material so that the flame retardant would remain an inherent part of the substrate. This paper also describes the reaction mechanisms of various treatment methodologies for ensuring the efficacious actions of non-halogenated flame retardants in green building materials such as wood and bamboo.

In the face of ever increasing demand for energy and the rapid denudation of the environment, composites based on natural materials provide potentially viable alternatives to high embodied energy building materials. Scientists and grassroots organizations are exploring naturally available woody materials to ensure adequate, affordable and appropriate structural components especially for construction needs. Bamboo is one such material that has a great potential, but its behaviour when subjected to fire remains unknown. In order for bamboo (Dendrocalamus Strictus) to prove itself a viable option, bamboo constructions need to be dimensionally stable and strong enough against fire and biological detrimental agents. This paper presents research on the behaviour of bamboo in a fire and the consequent treatment methods to be adopted for its inclusion in structural components.