Flour has been around for quite some time, even as far back as the bible time. Flour is a white, powdery substance obtained from the pulverization of dry grains. Yes, any dry grain can be made into flour, although the most common varieties are made from wheat.
Flour is used in many household products, which begs the question, is flour flammable? Yes, flour is highly flammable and explosive. This is because the main component of flour is starch which is explosive in nature.
Flour becomes exceedingly flammable when it has access to too much oxygen and becomes suspended freely in the air. Any little form of ignition or heat will result in a dust explosion.
This post will cover all you need to know about flour and how heated it can get.
Contents
What is Flour Used For?
This might seem like a question with an obvious answer since you know that your favorite cake is made with flour. Flour is found in almost all households and is used as a staple ingredient for almost all kinds of meals.
As we all know, flour is popularly used in making assortments of baked products like bread, cakes, cookies, toasts, donuts, bagels, and many more.
Remember that we mentioned that flour could be made from all grains. However, the most common flours are whole wheat flour, self-rising flour, pastry flour, bread flour, cake flour, enriched flour, and unbleached flour.
In preparing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, rice and barley flour are also used via the fermentation process.
Is Flour Flammable?
To answer this question, you will have to cast your mind to the flour explosion of Washburn mill in 1878 that claimed 18 lives.
Apart from this particular explosion, lots of flour mills all around the globe have suffered some kind of explosion, which emphasizes the need for safety measures in this sector.
We have already established that flour is highly flammable. A follow-up question might be, why is flour so explosive in nature? Remember that we mentioned that the main component of flour is starch, a type of carbohydrate.
Looking at the constituent of this carbohydrate, we discover that as an organic compound, carbohydrate contains a carbon skeleton.
Most substances that have carbohydrates in them are highly flammable when they come in contact with oxygen and heat. Take, for instance, sugar or marshmallow will burn easily, and so does flour.
Another reason why flour is so flammable is that electrons present in its orbitals possess an energy that causes the bonds to break away and release CO2 and H2O.
As a thumb rule, most substances that have dust particles like flour, sugar, and sawdust are flammable when suspended in the air as dust.
This is because the particles are so tiny and closed up together. Thus, when one particle burns, it lights a nearby grain like a chain reaction until it finally results in an explosion.
At What Temperature Does Flour Explode?
Flour has an ignition temperature of 380 degrees Celsius. However, you should know that flour is not prone to explode all on its own.
What this means is that a bag of flour will not necessarily constitute a fire hazard. The real danger arises when the individual grains are separated and exposed to oxygen.
Access to oxygen will result in the individual particles being suspended in the air, usually in a dust cloud. Under these conditions, any heat or heat source can set the sugar molecules ablaze.
Can Flour Catch Fire While Cooking?
Since we have already established that flour is highly flammable and explosive, a question that might bug your mind is if flour still retains this element of flammability if you’re cooking.
To answer this question simply, flour cannot catch fire while you’re cooking. Remember that we mentioned that only dust particles are prone to catching fire easily. When you are cooking, the chances are that the flour is moist and thus loses its nature of flammability.
However, when using flour in the kitchen, always make sure not to raise any particles.
This doesn’t just end with flour, but with any substance prone to dust particles like cocoa powder, milk powder, pudding mix, and similar products that constitute carbohydrates.
What Happens When Flour Catches Fire?
We are certain that you’re interested to know how severe a flour fire or explosion can get. From the incident in Washburn mill 1878 that claimed 18 lives, you should know that a flour explosion is no joke.
A flour dust explosion can cause major damage to structures, equipment, and even the loss of life depending on the quantity of grain in the cloud.
In a closed space, it can cause skin burns, itching, and even asphyxiation when oxygen level drops below the required to breathe.
Safety Measures to Prevent Flour Explosion at Home
As mentioned earlier, it is quite uncommon for the dust used in cooking or baking to catch fire, provided you don’t raise lots of flour dust particles in the kitchen.
However, one can never be too careful. Thus, you need to take additional steps to ensure complete safety in your home:
- Do not prepare dough near any flame.
- Eliminate the build-up of combustible dust deposits that could lead to a secondary explosion.
- Always store flour properly in a bag or container
- keep flour away from children
- Always cover the lid of the flour container after use