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Evaluation of the processing conditions on the production of expanded or plasticized wood plastic composite with cashew nutshell powder

  • William C. L. Silva , Júlia N. S. Almeida , Natália F. I. Silva , Isabela C. B. Pereira , Ítalo R. B. A. Sousa , Jakeline R. D. Santos , Marcelo M. Ueki , Luciano Pisanu , Luís H. S. Santos , Eliton S. Medeiros , Renate M. R. Wellen , Josiane D. V. Barbosa and Amelia S. F. Santos EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: June 12, 2024
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International Polymer Processing
From the journal International Polymer Processing Volume 39 Issue 4

Abstract

In this work we investigate the influence of closed (“C”) or open (“O”) extrusion degassing, and low (5 MPa – “L”) or high (90 MPa – “H”) holding pressure during injection molding on the properties of wood-plastic composite (WPC) based on high-density polyethylene (HDPE) flakes compatibilized with 5 wt% maleic anhydride-modified polyethylene (MAPE), 5 wt% lubricant (Struktol® TPW 113), and 40 wt% cashew nutshell powder (CNSP). Two reference compounds were extruded with closed degassing and injected at 90 MPa of holding pressure: (1) HDPE flakes extruded with 5 wt% MAPE and 5 wt% Struktol® TPW 113 (HDPEad_C-H) and (2) HDPE flakes previously melt mixed in an internal mixer with 5 wt% CNSL (HDPEr/5CNSL) and then extruded with the same additive content (HDPEad/5CNSL_C-H). At 90 MPa holding pressure, the extract content of WPC slightly increased and CNSL acted as a lubricant and poor plasticizing agent, reducing the crystallinity and density of the additivated matrix (HDPEad_C-H), increasing the flow rate without significantly changing the tensile strength. On the other hand, low holding pressure (5 MPa) favored the volatilization and expansion of the residual CNSL in the WPC, which acted as a blowing agent improving filling of the mold cavity and avoiding sink marks. Sample extruded with open degassing (atmospheric pressure) did not significantly change the extract content, but favored CNSL diffusion from particles to matrix, which subsequently during injection molding led to its entrapment at the interface, resulting in low adhesion, especially at high holding pressure that hinders CNSL expansion and vaporization. These findings contribute to understand the role of residual CNSL of CNSP in WPC properties and thus, to strengthen the plastics recycling chain and reduce carbon footprint.

Keywords: WPC; lignocellulosic waste; cashew nutshell liquid; blowing agent; plasticizer
Corresponding author: Amelia S. F. Santos, Laboratory of Materials and Biosystems (LAMAB), Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB), Campus I, 58051-900, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil, E-mail:

Funding source: National Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development

Award Identifier / Grant number: 476549/2012-4

Funding source: National Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development

Award Identifier / Grant number: 405428/2022-7

Funding source: National Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development

Award Identifier / Grant number: 406925/2022-4

Acknowledgments

Authors are also thankful to the Rapid Solidification Laboratory (RSL) and Laboratory of Fuels and Materials (LACOM) at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) for sample characterizations.

  1. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.

  2. Ethical approval: The local Institutional Review Board deemed the study exempt from review.

  3. Author contributions: All the data available in this manuscript come from a master’s thesis of William César Livramento Silva, together with three scientific initiation program of Júlia Nathália Souza de Almeida, Ítalo Rodolfo Bezerra de Araujo Sousa and Isabela Cristina Barros Pereira. The extrusion and injection molding of composites were performed at SENAI/CIMATEC (Salvador-BA, Brazil) and at UFS (Aracaju-SE, Brazil), respectively. The students that carried out the processing of composites were Natália Fernanda Inocêncio Silva, Ítalo Rodolfo Bezerra de Araujo Souza and Luís Henrique Souza dos Santos. Therefore, the contributions are: conceptualization, Amélia S. F. Santos, Marcelo Massayoshi Ueki, Luciano Pisanu, Renate Maria Ramos Wellen, and Eliton S. Medeiros; methodology, Amélia S. F. Santos, Ítalo Rodolfo Bezerra de Araújo Sousa, Luciano Pisanu, and Marcelo Massayoshi Ueki; formal analysis, William César Livramento Silva, Júlia N. S. Almeida, Isabela Cristina Barros Pereira, and Ítalo Rodolfo Bezerra de Araujo Sousa; writing – original draft preparation, William César Livramento Silva, Natália F. I. Silva, and Jakeline Raiane Dora dos Santos; writing – review and editing, Amélia S. F. Santos, Renate Maria Ramos Wellen, Jakeline Raiane Dora dos Santos and Eliton S. Medeiros; supervision, Amélia S. F. Santos; project administration, Amélia S. F. Santos, Eliton S. Medeiros, Marcelo Massayoshi Ueki, and Josiane Dantas Viana Barbosa; funding acquisition, Amélia S. F. Santos and Eliton S. Medeiros. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

  4. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  5. Research funding: The authors thank the National Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development, CNPq (grant no.476549/2012-4), project @ss_oceanos (grant no. 405428/2022-7), and INCT Circularity in Polymer Materials (grant no. 406925/2022-4), for financial support of this study.

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Received: 2023-11-24
Accepted: 2024-05-17
Published Online: 2024-06-12
Published in Print: 2024-09-25

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Articles
  3. Probing the microstructural properties of metal-reinforced polymer composites
  4. Advancements in chemical modifications using NaOH to explore the chemical, mechanical and thermal properties of natural fiber polymer composites (NFPC)
  5. Research Articles
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  10. Evaluation of the processing conditions on the production of expanded or plasticized wood plastic composite with cashew nutshell powder
  11. Irradiation of PMMA intraocular lenses by a 365 nm UV lamp
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https://doi.org/10.1515/ipp-2023-4472
Keywords for this article
WPC; lignocellulosic waste; cashew nutshell liquid; blowing agent; plasticizer

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Articles
  3. Probing the microstructural properties of metal-reinforced polymer composites
  4. Advancements in chemical modifications using NaOH to explore the chemical, mechanical and thermal properties of natural fiber polymer composites (NFPC)
  5. Research Articles
  6. The effect of clay reinforcement of pine pollen grains on the mechanical, anti-corrosion and anti-microbial properties of an epoxy coating
  7. Influence of stacking sequence and nano-silica fortification on the physical properties of veli karuvelam – peepal hybrid natural composites
  8. An experimental validation of diffusion-based devolatilization models in extruders using post-industrial and post-consumer plastic waste
  9. Impact of filler type and proportion on the performance of rubberized coconut fiber-polystyrene composites
  10. Evaluation of the processing conditions on the production of expanded or plasticized wood plastic composite with cashew nutshell powder
  11. Irradiation of PMMA intraocular lenses by a 365 nm UV lamp
  12. Design and simulation analysis of an extrusion structure based on screw extrusion 3D printing
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