Micromechanical Modeling for Tensile Properties of Wood Plastic Composites: Use of Pruned Waste from Pecan Orchards as Sustainable Material for Reinforcement of Thermoplastic Composite

Development of Wood Polymer Composites from Recycled Wood and Plastic Waste: Thermal and Mechanical Properties

The depletion of natural resources due to the aggressive industrialization in the last decades has brought considerable attention to research aimed at developing green and sustainable products using eco-friendly materials. The purpose of the current study was to develop wood polymer composites (WPCs) using recycled plastic waste (RPW) generated from university laboratories and recycled wood waste (RWW) from construction and demolition (C&D) activities by melt-blending technique. The WPCs were characterised for their mechanical and thermal properties, as well as water uptake and morphology. The SEM micrograph indicated good interaction between RWW and RPW matrix. The mechanical strength of the WPCs was found to increase from 26.59 to 34.30 MPa, with an increase of the RWW content in the matrix. The thermal stability was higher in the composite with a higher percentage of RWW in the matrix. The wettability results indicated that the composite with a higher RWW (20%) had a higher water uptake. These results suggest that the produced WPCs can be a promising environmental-friendly material, while maintaining good mechanical, thermal, and wettability properties.

Some Properties of Wood Plastic Composites Made from Rubberwood, Recycled Plastic and Silica

The objective of this work was to evaluate some of the properties of experimental wood plastic composite (WPC) panels manufactured from a low percentage of rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg), waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and silica at three different ratios. It was determined that water absorption values of the samples decreased with the increasing amount of PET in the panels. The lowest absorption value of 0.34% was determined for the samples having 40% PET in their content as a result of 24-h soaking. The highest hardness value of 4492 N was found for the samples made with the combination of rubberwood, PET and silica at 10%, 40% and 50%, respectively. The compressive strength of WPC specimens also followed a similar trend with the hardness characteristics of the panel and improved with increasing PET percentage. Statistical analyses revealed that values of compression strength, hardness, 2-h and 24-h water absorption of the specimens made with 20, 30, and 40% PET content resulted in significant difference from each other (p ≤ 0.0001). Based on the findings in this study it appears that increasing silica content in the samples adversely influenced their mechanical properties while creating a certain level of enhancement of water absorption of the specimens. It seems that using a combination of waste PET and a limited amount of silica with a low percentage of wood particles could have the potential to produce value-added environmentally friendly composites to be used for different applications.