Physico-Mechanical Properties of Wood-Plastic Produced with Forest Species and Thermoplastic Materials

Abstract

Abstract This research aims to evaluate the physico-mechanical properties of wood-plastic composites produced with recycled polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene and polypropylene, and sawdust from the following species: Pinus caribaea, Pinus cubensis, Cedrela odorata, Talipariti elatum and Eucalyptus sp. Composites were obtained by extrusion with dimension of 1,000 × 250 × 16 mm (length × width × thickness), through six treatments. The following physico-mechanical properties were evaluated: density, moisture content, water absorption and thickness swelling, compression, static bending and traction. Treatment 6 obtained the best results, with 1,060 kg m-3 density, 5.23% moisture content, 0.32% water absorption, and 0.18% thickness swelling. Compressive strength was 138.10 MPa, static bending 18.53 MPa, and traction 29.4 MPa. The technology developed has prospects for large-scale production.

Keywords

• forestry industry
• recycling
• wastes