STUDY ON PINEWOOD/RECYCLED POLYPROPYLENE COMPOSITE

PLASTIC TECHNOLOGY

In this study, as the low cost of wood plastic composite (WPC) is generating a boom in the market of wood composites product, an attempt is made to fabricate WPCs with saw dust of pine wood flour which is wastages of wood/furniture industry. These composites (WPCs) are made using matrices of recycled polypropylene (rPP) with sawdust (Pine Wood flour) as filler. Corresponding WPCs are also made using virgin Polypropylene (vPP) for comparison with the recycled plastic based composites. WPC test samples were prepared from Pine Wood Flour (PWF) with a mesh size of 20-80 mesh size as the reinforcing material and H110 MA polypropylene (PP) and recycled PP as the matrix materials. WF was chemically modified by alkaline treatment methods to increase its adhesion to, and compatibility with, the polymer matrix. All varieties of these WPCs are made through melt mixing and injection moulding with varying formulations based on Polypropylene (PP), plastic form (recycled and virgin), wood flour content and addition of Maleated Polypropylene (MAPP). Mechanical properties and the water absorption are evaluated. To understand the changes in WPCs dimension stability and durability performance, incorporation of MAPP in composite formulation was done to strengthen interfacial bonding and hence improves the dimensional stability.

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