Engineering360: "A Non-Metallic Alternative to Structural Steel"

I have a couple of thoughts against FRP. What about fire safety? Plastics burn, which means that a fire on the first floor of a building could drop the upper floors. (Yes, steel can do that too, but it takes a hotter fire to get it to a temperature where it weakens, but it doesn't burn even then.) Therefore, I have some problems with using FRP as structural members.

Second, plastics are made from oil; a large market in FRP material would surely affect the distribution of the world's available oil. Of course, if we could stop using oil for energy production (substitute fast nuclear in my opinion,) there would be more available for FRP.

How does this perform in the subsea environment. Lighter weight would be a plus in several applications especially with ROV manipulated tools. My concern here is the corrosive environment as the steel used is usually 316 s.s. or 2507 duplex s.s.

Are there any listed fire protective coatings or listed enclosure designs using gypsum board that would allow this product to be used and still meet building code requirements. The burning characteristics plastics and of other typical combustible materials (ie. wood) are quite different.

Can discarded solar panels be used to make this product? If so, they would have or soon have an infinite supply of raw materials.

Oh, by the way, this material has ben around for quite a spell. I used some in a chemical plant in 1963. It was called extruded fiberglass shapes, I think.