Wood plastic composites made from post-used polystyrene foam and agricultural waste

Koay Seong Chun, Varnesh Subramaniam, Chan Ming Yeng, Pang Ming Meng, Chantara Thevy Ratnam, Tshai Kim Yeow, Cheah Kean How

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Ever since the development of lightweight polystyrene foam, the material has become an attractive single-use product packaging in various industries. Despite its high versatilities, post consumed polystyrene foam has very low rate of recycling due to the high cost during transportation and there is hardly any established economical recycling route. The purpose of this research is to investigate the potential of converting the polystyrene foam waste as raw material for producing wood plastic composite (WPC). In the present study, predefined formulation of recycled polystyrene (rPS), durian husk fiber (DHF) and processing aid Ultra-PlastTM WP516 were melt blended with the aid of Haake internal mixer. The homogenous mixtures were subsequently compression molded to form WPC. The effect of material compositions on tensile, thermal, and morphological properties of the rPS/DHF composite was highlighted. The results showed that tensile strength and modulus increase with fiber content, while elongation at break and thermal stability were decreased. With higher loading of Ultra-PlastTM WP516, both tensile and thermal properties decreased. This research found that WPC with optimum strength of 18.8 MPa can be produced from rPS having 60 parts per hundred resin (phr) of DHF and 0.5 phr of Ultra-PlastTM WP516, albeit the measured tensile strength is lower compared to commercial alternatives. The resulting WPC possess great potential in none high strength, structurally demanding application.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1455-1466
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials
Volume32
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Recycled polystyrene foam
  • Ultra-Plast WP516
  • durian husk fiber
  • processing aid
  • wood plastic composites

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ceramics and Composites
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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