Effect of an antioxidant on the life cycle of wood flour/polypropylene composites

Abstract

This study assessed the life cycle of biocomposites with antioxidants by repeated processing. The effects of antioxidants on the life cycle of wood flour/polypropylene (PP) composites were determined by analyzing their mechanical and thermal properties. The composites were repeatedly processed for seven times with pelletizing and extruding. An antioxidant, pentaerythritoltetrakys 3-(3,5-ditert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate, was used. The mechanical strength of the biocomposites decreased after reprocessing. Fourier transformed infrared analysis showed that thermo-oxidative aging occurred during reprocessing. The thermal performance of the resulting composites decreased because of reprocessing. Wood flour/PP has a long lifetime and antioxidants can slow the thermo-oxidative and mechanical degradation during reprocessing.

Keywords

Wood-plastic composites / Polypropylene / Reprocessing / Antioxidant

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