Wood Plastic Composites - Usage and Demand

Wood-plastic composites are such kind of materials which are cast from wood fiber and thermoplastics. They are also called as WPC. They are substitute materials of Natural fiber plastic compounds. WPC’s are mainly used in flooring work but also can be used in household maintenance work like fences, railings, window and door frames, furniture, etc. WPC’s are eco-friendly and they can be recycled easily as well as they are highly resistant to rot, do not corrode easily, and decay. The materials which are used in making WPC’s can also be recycled materials. Also, WPC’s has some disadvantages as they are made from materials like ‘wood’, they can absorb water easily and can easily catch fire as well as ‘plastic’ which can be easily melted due to high chemical heat content property. Wood plastic composite market is growing in construction and building industries.

About main components of WPC market

1) Wood- They are organic materials which also considered as parts of trees that hold it, being the xylem in stem and act as a structural system. It also connects leaves and roots for the transportation of nutrients. Woods are also considered as fuel. They are so many uses of wood like for constructing materials like furniture, sports equipment, tools, stationery items, weapons, paper, etc., for decorating gardens by building benches and fences, for making statues and sculptures, for making a musical instrument, for flooring work, etc. The chemical composition of wood is 6% hydrogen, 1% nitrogen, 42% oxygen, 50% carbon, and 1% other elements like calcium, sodium, magnesium, etc. Wood mainly contains three components- (a) Cellulose, which is a crystalline polymer. (b) Hemicellulose, which is a five-carbon sugar that is irregularly linked with each other. (c) Ligin- Its shows hydrophobic properties which are mostly based on aromatic rings. Mainly there are three types of woods- Hardwoods, Softwoods, and Engineered Wood. There are also some more kinds of wood like Pine, Cedar, fir, Hardwoods, Oak, Ash, Elm, Mahogany, Teak and Walnut from which Maple, Oak, and pine are types of sawdust which are used in making WPC materials because they are of low cost, can be easily transformed into any texture, shrinkage, have an odor, are macro-structure, they do not conduct electricity, have a little shiny appearance, are of lightweight, are flexible, have good strength and tension and have varieties of natural colors which make the material look attractive.

2) Plastics- They are synthetic organic compounds. The word plastic means being capable of being shaped or molded. They are formed by Chains of carbon atoms and with the addition of oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur. They are mainly seven types of plastics-

(a) Acrylic or Polymethyl Methacrylate which are used in making optical devices because they are transparent can easily get colored, are UV tolerant, are bullet-resistant and are lightweight, so that sheet form products can be easily created.

(b) Polycarbonate is tough as well as transparent. They can be easily molded and transformed because of having the property of thermo-formed and can be used in making products like sunglasses, DVD’s, etc.

(c) Polyethylene is the most usable and common plastics which are used in making plastic bags, shopping bags, gas pipes, bottles, hydraulic seals, boats, folding chairs, etc.

(d) Polypropylene which is used in making laboratory equipment, etc.

(e) Polyethylene Terephthalate which is used in making food containers, for making clothes, etc.

(f)Polyvinyl chloride which is used for the constructions of the door, windows, etc.

(g) Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene which is used for making boxes, suitcase, toys, etc. from which polyethylene or polypropylene is used in making WPC materials because they are light in weight, are corrosion resistant and can be easily molded into solids.