Abstract
Wood plastic composites (WPCs) specimens containing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and wood pruning waste were manufactured and evaluated for their mechanical properties. Pecan waste was used as an accessible and sustainable source in this study, and the effects of its particle size and concentration on WPC strengths were evaluated. Pecan waste was milled and sieved to various particle sizes, and testing samples were fabricated by mixing them in a twin-screw extruder and injection molding. A coupling agent was used to create a stable bond between the HDPE and wood. Both tensile modulus and strength were increased with an increasing pecan flour concentration up to about 60 weigh percent. A micromechanical model is proposed for predicting the mechanical properties of the wood flour/fiber reinforce composite. This model uses a correction factor of an elliptical of carried sizes and shapes. The preliminary results of the model have a high correlation with the experimental values of the composite in all mesh sizes.
Highlights
Published: 27 January 2022The use of composites containing natural fibers is growing rapidly around the world.The combination of thermoplastic polymers with natural fibers has been used to develop wood plastic composites (WPCs) widely
We developed and tested WPCs specimens based on pecan tree pruning waste as reinforcement for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and a coupling agent to enhance the bond wood flour from tree pruning waste as reinforcement for HDPE and a coupling agent to between them
Wood plastic composites were successfully produced from HDPE and milled pecan pruning waste flour
Summary
Published: 27 January 2022The use of composites containing natural fibers is growing rapidly around the world.The combination of thermoplastic polymers (e.g., polyolefins) with natural fibers has been used to develop wood plastic composites (WPCs) widely. WPCs have been developed from a variety of agricultural and forest resources, including wood flour and other types of fibers from plants [1,2]. A literature review [1,4] shows an increased use of agro-waste as a reinforcement option in plastic composites. Many of these composites are based on the use of waste from crops after harvesting. Some of these natural materials are obtained from orchard pruning residues. This waste is typically either burned or mixed in the soil as fertilizer. Natural fibers, including agricultural waste, are considered to be a viable
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