Abstract
The goal of this study was to investigate if it is possible to recycle chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood for use in wood polymer composites. This was done by soda pulping wood chips of CCA-treated lumber in a laboratory-scale digester. Composites of 10–30 weight percentage of filler in polypropylene were produced with and without the addition of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) as a coupling agent. These composites were produced using extrusion compounding and injection moulding. The mechanical properties were determined using tensile testing; the properties examined in this study are the ultimate tensile strength, Young’s modulus and strain at break. The effect of the CCA-treated filler on the dimensional stability was investigated by comparing the moisture absorption with virgin wood-filled composites. It was found that ultimate tensile strength improves with increasing filler percentage for the compositions with MAPP. The Young’s modulus increases with increasing filler percentage for all compositions, and failure strain decreases with increasing filler percentage for all compositions. Moisture absorption studies show that the moisture absorption decreases when MAPP is added to the composite, and a slight decrease in moisture uptake is observed for the CCA-treated wood composites with respect to the virgin wood composites.
Highlights
Wood polymer composites (WPCs) are materials that have a polymer matrix that is reinforced with wood particles or fibres
The goal of this study is to investigate if it is possible to recycle chromated copper arsenate-treated wood for use in wood polymer composites
The possibility of using chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood in WPCs is investigated, and the results are shown
Summary
Wood polymer composites (WPCs) are materials that have a polymer matrix that is reinforced with wood particles or fibres. Extensive research has been done on the use and improvement of these natural fibre-reinforced polymers, summarized in a number of literature reviews [3,4,5]. These reviews conclude that there is much potential for WPCs; because of the low density, high specific mechanical properties, non-abrasiveness to machinery and renewability of the fibre source. There are some challenges such as adhesion of the fibre and matrix material, degradation of the wood at high processing temperatures and moisture absorption of the composites. These challenges can be tackled by several fibre-treatment methods prior to use in the composite and the addition of coupling agents to the composite [6,7]
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