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Recycling engine oil containers to prepare wood–plastic composites
Author(s) -
Lei Yong,
Wu Qinglin
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.34212
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , maleic anhydride , composite number , wood flour , extrusion , wood plastic composite , plasticizer , polyethylene , polymer , copolymer
Abstract The collected oil containers were drained, crushed, and used directly to make wood–plastic composites through reactive extrusion, using maleic anhydride (MA) and maleated polyethylene (PE‐ g ‐MA) as coupling agents. Oil residue in the container would be controlled at lower than 6 wt % through simple draining, and it played a role as a plasticizer in the plastics and composites. As a coupling agent, MA performed better than PE‐ g ‐MA. The comprehensive mechanical properties of oil container plastics (OCP)/wood/MA (60/40/2 w/w) composite were at the same level as those of neat plastic/wood/PE‐ g ‐MA (60/40/3.2 w/w) system. Both PE‐ g ‐MA and MA effectively improved water resistance of the OCP/wood flour composites, especially MA. The residual oil in the composites was stable under heat to about 200°C or in the water, and it did not influence the thermal degradation behavior of the composites. The OCP was successfully used to make wood–plastic composite panels. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011