Characteristics of wood-fiber plastic composites made of recycled materials.

This study investigates the feasibility of using recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE), polypropylene (rPP) and old newspaper (rONP) fiber to manufacture experimental composite panels. The panels were made through air-forming and hot press. The effects of the fiber and coupling agent concentration on tensile, flexural, internal bond properties and water absorption and thickness swelling of wood-fiber plastic composites were studied. The use of maleated polypropylene as coupling agent improved the compatibility between the fiber and both plastic matrices and mechanical properties of the resultant composites compared well with those of non-coupled ones. Based on the findings in this work, it appears that recycled materials can be used to manufacture value-added panels without having any significant adverse influence on board properties. It was also found that composites with rHDPE provided moderately superior properties, compared with rPP samples.

[1]  J. R. Quirarte,et al.  Effect of production variables on bending properties, water absorption and thickness swelling of bagasse/plastic composite boards , 2007 .

[2]  R. Dodd,et al.  Enzyme-Retted Flax Fiber and Recycled Polyethylene Composites , 2004 .

[3]  A. Ashori,et al.  A comparative study on mechanical properties and water absorption behavior of fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites prepared by OCC fiber and aspen fiber , 2008 .

[4]  J. Miltz,et al.  Properties of recycled high density polyethylene from milk bottles , 1991 .

[5]  P. Herrera-Franco,et al.  A study of the mechanical properties of short natural-fiber reinforced composites , 2005 .

[6]  Amir Nourbakhsh,et al.  Effect of press cycle time and resin content on physical and mechanical properties of particleboard panels made from the underutilized low-quality raw materials , 2008 .

[7]  Alireza Ashori,et al.  Wood-plastic composites as promising green-composites for automotive industries! , 2008, Bioresource technology.

[8]  A. Ashori,et al.  Effect of a Novel Coupling Agent, Polybutadiene Isocyanate, on Mechanical Properties of Wood-Fiber Polypropylene Composites , 2008 .

[9]  A. Ashori,et al.  Highly Fiber-Loaded Composites: Physical and Mechanical Properties , 2008 .

[10]  J. Dzwonkowski,et al.  Effects of electron radiation and compatibilizers on impact strength of composites of recycled polymers , 2007 .

[11]  J. Jog,et al.  Natural fiber polymer composites: A review , 1999 .

[12]  A. Ashori.  Municipal Solid Waste as a Source of Lignocellulosic Fiber and Plastic for Composite Industries , 2008 .

[13]  Susan Selke,et al.  Wood fiber/polyolefin composites , 2004 .

[14]  Debes Bhattacharyya,et al.  Mechanical performance of woodfibre–waste plastic composite materials , 2004 .

[15]  M. Cheung,et al.  Fabrication and interfacial modification of wood/recycled plastic composite materials , 2008 .

[16]  S. Cramer,et al.  Accelerated Weathering of Natural Fiber-Filled Polyethylene Composites , 2004 .

[17]  C. Lin,et al.  Characteristics of particleboard made from recycled wood-waste chips impregnated with phenol formaldehyde resin , 2007 .

[18]  L. Matuana,et al.  Properties of wood plastic composites made of recycled HDPE and wood flour from CCA-treated wood removed from service , 2004 .

[19]  A. Bhowmick,et al.  Thermal Degradation of Elastomer Based Nanocomposites , 2008 .