Possibility of using municipal solid waste for manufacturing wood-plastic composites: effects of natural weathering, wood waste types, and contents

This work aimed to investigate the effects of wood waste types (twigs, leaves, and palm fronds) and contents (ranging from 40 to 60 wt%) on the physical and mechanical properties of plastic bag composites under sea coast climate conditions. Wood-plastic composite (WPC) pellets were blended with a twin screw extruder, and sample panels were compressed using a compression molding machine. Statistical analysis indicated that exposure time led to significantly deteriorating changes in all the physical and mechanical properties of WPCs. The lightness and total color change values altered with an increase in exposure time. An increase of wood waste content from 40 to 60 wt% in plastic bag composites increased the percentage loss for modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), screw withdrawal strength (SWS), and hardness, which is relative to micro-cracks on the surface of the WPCs. Overall, the mechanical properties of the plastic bag composites based on twigs had less loss and superior MOR, MOE, SWS, and hardness compared to those based on leaves and palm fronds, at equal plastic to wood ratios. Thus, plastic bag composites based on twigs are recommended for the manufacture of WPC materials in applications for construction and building products.