will flashrom work?

There is no free firmware for Intel Wifi chipsets. Acquire a freedom-respecting Wifi card or USB adapter: https://ryf.fsf.org/products?category=7&vendor=All&sort_by=created&sort_order=DESC

Like other non-Atheros WLAN adapters, firmware must be loaded in order to make Intel WLAN adapters functioning. Though theoretically it's possible to install such firmware on Trisquel, there's no free/libre firmware for Intel WLAN cards. What's more, newer Intel WLAN cards (Centrino series) require ME to function.

If you can replace it with an ath5k or ath9k, it's the best.

If you can't replace it, e.g. whitelist restrictions, try to flash coreboot to remove the restrictions.

If your computer has Boot Guard, then you'll have to use a USB ath9k-htc.

thanks fellas

First, the host CPU has no access to peripherals' inner working (dedicated processor, memory and storage), so flashrom (running on the host CPU) can't even know the existence of the storage chip which is supposed to hold the non-free firmware on the wireless NIC.

Additionally, for most wireless NICs that require non-free firmware, there's no non-volatile storage to hold the firmware between startups, so even if you have physical access to the dedicated storage on the wireless NIC (via an external programmer), you'll have to flash the firmware every time you startup you computer, because that storage is volatile.

Because Atheros ath5k/9k doesn't have dedicated processor in it, even if there is certain firmware on the ath5k/9k card, it can do no harm.