Abstract
Recently, consumer markets have shown great interest in sustainable products. Considerable research efforts are headed towards developing biodegradable and recyclable polymers and composites. In this study, the fabrication of a wood–plastic composite (WPC) via solid state compounding has been examined. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and wood sawdust waste as major components of waste and challenging materials for the manufacturing of WPCs have been explored. Furthermore, the addition of poly(ε-caprolactone) as a biodegradable plasticizing agent was investigated. Composite powders were prepared by cryogenic solid-state milling (cryomilling) according to a statistical mixture design. Mechanical and water absorption properties were inspected on film samples obtained by hot pressing. Different formulations resulted in a variety of colors, textures, water interactions and mechanical properties. A sawdust content of approximately 25 vol.% was optimal for the best combination of properties. The results indicated that cryomilling is technically advantageous in the production of WPCs.
Highlights
The accumulation of non-biodegradable waste in any society triggers serious public concerns.Disposing of it into oceans, sewers, or landfills leads to air, soil, and water pollution
This study aimed to investigate the recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and sawdust (SD) to produce a wood–plastic composite (WPC) by utilizing a solid-state compounding route
Using a different compounding approach by means of cryomilling for solid-state compounding and compression molding for sample preparation, this study aimed to eliminate some of the challenges involved in WPC production
Summary
The accumulation of non-biodegradable waste in any society triggers serious public concerns. Disposing of it into oceans, sewers, or landfills leads to air, soil, and water pollution. Research, legislation, and money have been directed towards sustainable solutions to both cut down on the amount of waste and to recycle waste materials [1]. Plastic constitutes a major component of the problematic waste as it is mostly non-biodegradable [3]. Different levels of degradation of plastics due to repeated processing cycles and environmental exposure, different melting points, different fillers, and immiscibility of components complicate the recycling process [4,5]. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2017, 25.1% of the municipal solid waste (MSW) produced in the US was recycled, 4.4% of which were plastics, which accounted for only 8.4% of all plastics produced [6,7]
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