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Coextruded Wood Plastic Composites Containing Recycled Wood Fibers Treated with Micronized Copper-Quat: Mechanical, Moisture Absorption, and Chemical Leaching Performance

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Abstract

Wood plastic composites (WPCs) containing wood fibers treated with micronized copper quaternary were made through melt blending and co-extrusion using resins including virgin high density polyethylene (V-HDPE), recycled HDPE (R-HDPE) and recycled polypropylene/HDPE (R-PP/PE) hybrid. Mechanical properties, dynamic moisture absorption, and chemical leaching properties of the WPCs were investigated. The results showed well defined core–shell interface boundaries in the co-extruded composites. Micro-voids were formed in the R-PP/PE hybrid resin composite due to poor compatibility among wood fibers and the matrix, resulting in a weak composite. Extruded WPCs with treated wood fibers through profile extrusion had competitive mechanical properties. Co-extrusion led to enhanced bending strength and impact strength for the composites, allowing using a relatively weak core system for cost saving while maintaining good composite quality. The shell layer in coextruded composites reduced the rate of moisture uptaking by 76.85, 82.96, and 89.83%, respectively, for V-HDPE, R-HDPE, and R-PP/PE resin systems on average. The shell layer in coextruded composites also reduced the cu ion leaching by 86.2, 80.7, and 97.3%, respectively, for V-HDPE, R-HDPE, and R-PP/PE resin systems. The process provides a technical route to add values to treated wood fibers for composite applications with reduced environmental impact.

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Acknowledgements

This study was carried out with support from the Nanjing Forestry University through the National State Bureau of Forestry 948 Plan Project (Grant No. 2014-4-49), Korea National Institute of Forest Science, and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire Stennis project [1000017].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Changtong Mei

  2. School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Xiuxuan Sun & Qinglin Wu

  3. School of Foreign Language, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanchang, 330032, China

    Minli Wan

  4. Department of Forest Products, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul, 130-712, Republic of Korea

    Sang-Jin Chun & Sunyoung Lee

Authors
  1. Changtong Mei
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  2. Xiuxuan Sun
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  3. Minli Wan
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  4. Qinglin Wu
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  5. Sang-Jin Chun
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  6. Sunyoung Lee
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Correspondence to Qinglin Wu or Sunyoung Lee.

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Mei, C., Sun, X., Wan, M. et al. Coextruded Wood Plastic Composites Containing Recycled Wood Fibers Treated with Micronized Copper-Quat: Mechanical, Moisture Absorption, and Chemical Leaching Performance. Waste Biomass Valor 9, 2237–2244 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-017-9992-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-017-9992-z

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