Don’t you wish you can take sugar all day without any dire consequences? For persons with a sweet tooth, we already know the answer to this question.
However, with the increase in obesity, diabetes, and other related diseases, the intake of sugar has been consumed with caution. While lots of processed food contains sugar, we are advised to cut down on them.
However, while we have acknowledged the health hazard associated with too much sugar consumption, this post is more focused on the flammability of sugar? So, is sugar flammable?
Yes! Powdered sugar is flammable due to its smaller particle size and greater surface area. In the right circumstances, it can even be explosive. The same doesn’t apply to Common table sugar (sucrose), which is considered non-flammable.
This post will cover everything you need to know about sugar in terms of flammability.
Contents
What Is Sugar?
Of course, you are expected to know the answer to this, keeping in mind that you must have tasted sugar at one point or the other. Sugar is a general term given to various compounds which taste sweet to us.
The most common types of these compounds are fructose, lactose, maltose, dextrose, and sucrose.
Sucrose is the most common type of sugar that is prevalent in most processed food. Thus, this post will center majorly on this type of sugar always found in our home.
Sugars are usually a combination of hydrocarbons and some oxygen. Glucose, the simplest sugar, has 12 hydrogen atoms, 6 oxygen atoms, and 6 carbon atoms.
Is Sugar Flammable?
Yes, sugar is flammable. Remember that we mentioned that sugars are a combination of hydrocarbons and some oxygen. Now, as a thumb rule, substances with hydrocarbons are very easy to burn.
Also, remember that we mentioned that most sugar compounds have 6 carbon atoms, 12 hydrogen atoms, and 6 oxygen atoms. Thus, hydrogen that is explosively flammable will burn conveniently in conjunction with oxygen.
Is Powdered Sugar Flammable?
Yes. In fact, powdered sugar is considered a fire hazard in the right circumstances. You might wonder, what are the right circumstances for powdered sugar to become explosive?
Well, provided powdered sugar has access to lots of oxygen, reducing the sugar into dust dispersed in the air. It easily becomes a fire hazard with just the right ignition source supplied, such as a flame.
Remember the sugar refinery disaster in the United States; there were 281 volatile dust explosions between 1980 and 2005, costing 119 lives.
This shows that once powdered sugar has lots of access to oxygen, a little temperature change can result in an explosion.
This parameter is true for every substance that has lots of dust particles. According to the National Fire Protection Association, dust particles must be 420 microns across to be volatile.
This might sound small, but it is actually more than four times larger than the average grain of table salt. Conclusively, it doesn’t take much dust to pose a threat. This means that bakers need to be very careful in the kitchen with naked flames.
Is Liquid Sugar Flammable?
When compared to powdered sugar, liquid sugar shouldn’t be as flammable, probably because it has been diluted with water.
Liquid sugar contains juice and sugar syrup and has an auto-ignition temperature of 932 degrees Fahrenheit (500 degrees Celsius).
It follows that liquid sugar is not flammable. However, you should avoid heating liquid sugar excessively because it can easily be explosive with the right amount of ignition.
What Happens If You Put Sugar in Fire?
A bottle of sugar poured over a single burning flame will probably douse the flame(please don’t attempt this). The danger is inevitable when the sugar has lots of access to oxygen and a source of ignition
Ideally, table sugar will ignite at a temperature of 662 degrees Fahrenheit (350 Celsius). This high amount of temperature is likely to be encountered in the kitchen. Thus, you should be careful when handling sugar in hot environments.
Is Sucrose Flammable?
Sucrose is flammable under the right conditions. A sugar cube is likely to catch fire by a small spark. However, a nano- or a micron-sized bit of sugar would be more flammable when compared to a sugar cube.
It follows that the flammability of sucrose depends on its size. For instance, a small spark could supply enough energy to set off a small explosion in a place with lots of sugar dust.
Is Glucose Flammable?
Glucose is made of 6 carbon atoms, 12 hydrogen atoms, and 6 oxygen atoms. Out of the 6 atoms, glucose contains four asymmetrical carbon atoms: protons, neutrons, electrons.
These atoms make glucose highly combustible and flammable, especially powdered glucose.
As already mentioned, a substance with dust particles can easily disperse when exposed to air, making it extremely volatile. The same principle is applied to powdered glucose.
Conclusion | Can Sugar Start a Fire?
Is sugar flammable? Well, it depends on the current form the sugar takes. Powdered sugar is flammable and can even constitute a fire hazard in the right circumstances.
This is applicable for most substances with dust particles that can easily disperse when exposed to air.
There have been cases of fire hazards in sugar refinery factory which emphasizes the need for more precautions when handling sugar.
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