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Liquid by-products from wood aid compatibilisation of WPCs
A Finnish PhD student has discovered that liquid by-prod- ucts from the wood industry could be used as additives in the manufacture of wood- plastic composites (WPCs). Taneli Väisänen, of the department of applied physics at the University of Eastern Finland, has also devised a way in which the liquids can be incorporated into the material. Additives are an important
factor in WPCs, and help to enhance the compatibility of the wood and plastic constitu- ents. Additives are also used to improve water-absorbing and weather resistance properties, among other things. However, some additives
are expensive and they are difficult to incorporate into WPCs – which is why Väisänen
Liquid by-products from the wood industry could be used as compatibilisers in the manufacture of WPCs
has been looking for new additives based on renewable resources. In his study, liquid by-prod-
ucts from biochar production and heat treatment of wood were added to WPCs, and their effects analysed.
Redesigned extruder series to make its debut at K2016
At this year’s K2016, Batten- feld-Cincinnati will introduce a new series of single screw extruders.
Its SolEx NG (for ‘Next
Generation’) line is based on its SolEx 40D series, but with a new processing unit that offers a lower melt temperature – and a claimed 15% reduction in energy costs. The barrel, screw, and
grooved bush in the new machine have all been
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redesigned: there is an internally grooved barrel; a screw concept that applies the theory of dispersive melting; and a feed zone with a revised geometry that is fitted with spiral grooves. The new extruder series is
available in four sizes, from 60 to 120mm and in outputs of 1,000 to 2,500kg/h. Energy cost savings of up to
15% are possible, says the company: a lower drive energy
PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | July/August 2016
is required, while cooling of the barrel and grooved bush mean that less heat discharge is necessary. The new processing unit can also be retrofitted to existing SolEx models. Battenfeld-Cincinnati says that, with their high outputs and melt processing capaci- ties, the new machines are ideal for polyolefin pipe lines with diameters up to 2.6m. ❙
www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com
The processing unit has been redesigned to offer 15% energy savings
The findings show that the
liquids can be added to WPC granulates using a method developed by Väisänen. Material samples were very homogeneous. Furthermore, addition of the liquids reduced the water absorption of the
composites and in some cases improved mechanical proper- ties.
The study also discovered that adding the liquids increased the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from WPCs – though the emission levels of harmful compounds did not increase to a level that would be hazardous, said Väisänen. He also identified that
proton-transfer-reaction mass-spectrometry (PTR-MS) was a suitable method for measuring the VOC levels released. The advantages of the method include a short analysis time and the opportu- nity to monitor the release of VOCs in real time. ❙
www.uef.fi
www.pipeandprofile.com
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