Fungal resistance and accelerated weathering of Wood-Plastic composites reinforced with Maritime pine wood flour

IRG/WP 16-40750

M Jebrane, T Fournier, N-E El Bounia, F Charrier-El Bouhtoury

This study evaluates the durability of wood-polymer composites (WPCs) elaborated for use in cladding application from recycled polypropylene (rPP) and wood flour. Local Maritime pine wood flour derived from regional sawmills was used in the study to reduce the environmental impact associated with transport. Different wood-plastic ratios with and without UV stabilizers and biocide were tested. One biocide and two UV stabilizers were tested and their impact on the performances of the elaborated composites was assessed by artificial weathering and fungal decay tests. Results showed that formulation with biocide exhibited low masse losses. Compared with the formulations without UV stabilizers, accelerated weathering resulted in discoloration (E) and slight reduction of the maximum strain, which was enhanced by the addition of 1 wt% UV stabilizers to WPCs formulations. The study showed that the performances of WPCs elaborated from maritime pine wood flour and recycled PP could significantly be improved by using biocide and UV stabilizers.


Keywords: wood plastic composites, cladding, WPC, recycled plastics, Maritime pine, fungal decay, mechanical properties, environmental impact

Conference: 16-05-15/19 Lisbon, Portugal


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