Wood fiber derived from scrap pallets used in polypropylene composites
1999
Stark, N.M.
Wood pallets and shipping crates represent a large source of raw material available for use in value-added composites. To determine the feasibility of using wood fibers derived from pallets in wood-plastic composites, this study compared the mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) composites combined with either wood flour or wood fiber. Wood flour is the most common wood-derived filler used in the plastics industry. Moving from a particulate filler like wood flour to a reinforcing fiber results in property enhancements. In this study, the use of fiber derived from wood pallets and shipping crates as a filler for PP resulted in tensile and flexural strength improvements compared with wood-flour-filled PP. The addition of stearic acid to these composites to increase dispersion of the wood filler in the PP did not improve properties; however, the addition of maleated PP to improve the interfacial adhesion between the two phases resulted in strength improvements.
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