Abstract
Injection molded biocomposite specimens were prepared by using four different weight percentages, i.e., 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% of aspen (Populus tremula L.) and willow (Salix caprea L.) wood particles in a biopolymeric matrix. Dog-bone test specimens were used for testing the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties, and microstructure of biocomposites. The tensile and bending strength changed with the change in weight percentages of wood particles and the bending stiffness increased with the increasing weight percentage of wood. In Brinell hardness, similar changes as a function of wood particle weight percentage were shown, and a relationship between hardness and tensile strength with wood content was also investigated. The prepared biocomposites could be an alternative for plastic-based materials and encourage the use of fast growing (aspen and willow) wood from short-rotation forests in biocomposites.
Highlights
Future social and economic development globally depends on our success in mitigating climate change by transforming our dependence on finite fossils fuels into use of sustainable resources
The present study was focused on exploring the potential utilization of wood raw materials from short-rotation forests, namely aspen and willow, in the production of injection molded biocomposites
The aspen and willow wood particles were mixed as filler in different weight percentages (10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) into the polylactic acid (PLA) matrix to produce biocomposites at the industrial scale setup
Summary
Future social and economic development globally depends on our success in mitigating climate change by transforming our dependence on finite fossils fuels into use of sustainable resources. The key concept of the circular economy is to reduce waste levels and increase the utilization of side-streams and low-value wood that can be transformed into biocomposites and other value added products from the view point of wood products cluster [1,2,3] Biomass materials, such as wood, represent environmentally friendly alternatives for fossil resources that play a key role while turning societies towards sustainable and circular bioeconomy [4,5]. Various types of wood products, such as engineered wood, and wood-based panels incorporate wood, as raw material in varied forms, into industrial applications that are manufactured by using effective processing methods [6,7] Such manufacturing methods are able to utilize wood with inconvenient shapes, such as branches and side-streams, or fast-growing, small-diameters species (i.e., aspen or willow), being otherwise difficult to convert into valuable products. They have attracted considerable interest due to their sustainability with great potential to become eco-friendly, biodegradable substitutes for petroleum-based polymeric matrices [4,9]
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