Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Alternatively, the wood fraction itself can be chemically functionalized (e.g.,
acetylated) (Hung et al., 2012) for better compatibility. Some of the recycled
resin is mixed with 30-50% by weight of a natural filler such as wood
flour and made into wood-plastic composite (WPC) (Najafi, 2006; Clemons,
2002). A higher-grade WPC product results when a single type of plastic
such as virgin PP is used as the matrix polymer (Sobczak et al., 2012).
However, the environmental advantage of the WPC as a material is not
always clear: LCA studies on WPC material yield mixed results (Alves et al.,
2010; Luz et al., 2010), depending on the particular blend.
With an annual global demand of 2.3 MMT (2010) and projected growth
rate of 13.8% (BCC Research Market Forecasting, 2011), WPC is a growing
composite product. Having a high fraction of hydrophilic wood
(lignocellulose)inthepolymermatrixrestrictsmoistureabsorptionbywood
avoiding any fungal growth and therefore its biodegradation.
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