Wood/recycled plastic composite

Finally, wood fiber-plastic composites have ecological benefits they consist mainly of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. 

A. Ashori, A. Nourbakhsh, Characteristics of wood-fiber plastic composites made of recycled materials. Waste Manag. 29(4), 1291-1295 (2009)... 

Wood fiber - recycled plastic composite lumber is a relatively new development and is similar to PS addition to plastic lumber because the potential exists for improved mechanical properties and dimensional stabilities. Wood fiber addition can serve as an excellent reinforcement for plastics, and wood fibers are abundant, lightweight, nonabrasive, nonhazardous and inexpensive. An effort is being made to examine the incorporation of treated and untreated aspen fibers into recycled HDPE milk bottles [Yam et al., 1990]. The work has shown tensile strength and Izod impact strength below that of HDPE alone when aspen fiber is added. Tensile modulus and flexural modulus are increased significantly above HDPE alone with the addition of wood fiber. Dispersion of the fiber in the resin has been reported as a dominating factor in the process thus far. 

Lavendel, Brian, Recycled Wood and Plastic Composites Find Markets, BioCycle, December 1996, pp. 39-43. 

In addition, ABS that has been recovered can be recycled into high value composites without separation from impurities. This has been exemplified with wood-plastic composites that contain ABS as matrix polymer. Both virgin ABS and recycled ABS were used and the properties of the materials were compared (126). In order to increase the performance, coupling agents were used, all based on grafted maleic anhydride. 

S.-K. Yeh, S. Agarwal, and R.K. Gupta, Wood-plastic composites formulated with virgin and recycled abs, Compos. Sci. Technol., 69(13) 2225-2230, October 2009. 

Sefbsse, M., Wood Composites are Expanding Among Sectors (with recycled plastics), MP, Jan. 2003. 

Customer preferences for recycled products have encouraged a more efficient use of wood and natural fibers. One potential approach to preserve wood and use natural fibers is the development of commodity-engineered composites that blend wood and natural fibers with other materials, such as plastic. The idea of combining wood and plastic is to produce a product with performance characteristics that combine the positive attributes of both materials. Wood and other natural fibers have been used as fillers and/or reinforcement to improve the mechanical properties of a variety of products. The combination of wood and plastic creates the ability to develop diverse products using many different manufacturing processes. 

ADH08] Adhkary K.B., Pang S., Staiger M.P., Dimensional stability and mechanical behaviour of wood-plastic composites based on recycled and virgin high-density polyethylene (HOPE) , Composites B, vol. 39, pp. 807-815,2008. 

FIGURE 5.97 Effect of plastic type (polyethylene o, polypropylene A, polystyrene X) and wood loading levels on properties of wood plastic composites. (After Chelsea Center for Recycling and Economic Development (CCRED), 2000. Technical Report 19, An Investigation of the Potential to Expand the Manufacture of Recycled Wood Plastic Composite Products in Massachusetts, Univ. of Massachusetts, Massachusetts.)... 

Wood-plastic and other natural fiber-plastic composite materials are being increasingly used in automotive industries. Woodstock, made with a mix of about 50% wood flour and 50% PP, is still widely used for automotive interiors, but the industry appears to be especially interested in components made form recycled plastics, and the introduction of wood-filled compounds for molding has spurred some of this interest. 

Properties of some plastic waste are similar to those made from virgin materials, with tests indicating only a slight change in mechanical properties of recycled polyethylene [56]. Products manufactured from plastic waste are increasing and include fiber-reinforced plastic composites (FRPCs) [57]. FRPCs made with waste wood fiber/flour have also gained popularity due to the low cost of recycled wood to the manufacturers. 

D.P. Kamdem et al., Properties of wood plastic composites made of recycled HOPE and wood flour from CCA-treated wood removed from service. Compos. Part A AppL Sci. Manuf. 35(3), 347-355 (2004)... 

J.R. Collier, M. Lu, M. Fahrurrozi and B.J Collier in Woodfiber - Plastic Composites Virgin and Recycled Wood Fiber and Polymers for Composites, Eds., D.F. Caulfield,... 

Residential decking is a large component of plastic lumber sales. Major manufacturers using recycled plastics include Trex and Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies (AERT) with plastic/wood fiber composites, and U.S. Plastic Lumber Corp. with both structurally foamed HDPE and plastic/wood composites. ... 

Due to its low thermal stability, wood flour is usually used as filler only in plastics that are processed at temperatures lower than about 200 °C. The majority of wood-plastic composites use polyethylene as the matrix (Figure 15.2). This is, in part, due to that fact that much of the early wood-plastic composites were developed as an outlet for recycled film. Polypropylene is more commonly used in automotive applications, and polyethylene is more commonly used in exterior building applications. 

The new Environmental Nature Center building in Newport Beach, California incorporates many sustainable features like photovoltaic roof, composite wood products, renewable materials, water efficient fixtures, natural ventilation, and many others. Visible here is the building s composite siding that is made from wood by-products and recycled plastic but looks like wood. (GlPhotoStock/ Photo Researchers, Inc.)... 

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