The influences of particle sizes on performance of biodegradable wood plastic composites manufactured from lingo-cellulosic agricultural waste

Abstract

Limited supply of wood products and at the same time high demand driven by ongoing population growth is motivating research into new sources of raw material in an attempt to reduce pressure on forest resources. Cotton stalk waste is a potential alternative lingo-cellulose material that can be used as feedstock material for the manufacture of wood plastic composites (WPCs). Unlike many other agri-waste sources, cotton stalk are comparable to common hardwood species in respect to their fibrous structure and composition. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of opening particle sizes (a size sieve used for the manufacture of particles) and particle load on the performance of wood plastic composites made from entire cotton stalks with Biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Three opening particle sizes (1 mm, 0.5 mm and 0.25 mm) and particle weight fraction (20% and 50%) were investigated in this research. It was found that there was not much differences in terms of tensile strength and water absorption between composites containing particle sizes of 1 mm and 0.5 mm. The highest tensile strength and lowest water uptake were observed in composites with particle size of 0.25 mm. The particle weight fraction had a significantly adverse effect on tensile strength and moisture uptake. The tensile modulus of composites containing particle sizes of 1mm and 0.5 mm was decreased with increasing particle weigh fraction. Conversely, this property was increased with particles of 0.25 mm.