Elsevier

Bioresource Technology

Volume 99, Issue 11, July 2008, Pages 4661-4667
Bioresource Technology

Review Paper
Wood–plastic composites as promising green-composites for automotive industries!

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2007.09.043Get rights and content

Abstract

Wood–plastic composite (WPC) is a very promising and sustainable green material to achieve durability without using toxic chemicals. The term WPCs refers to any composites that contain plant fiber and thermosets or thermoplastics. In comparison to other fibrous materials, plant fibers are in general suitable to reinforce plastics due to relative high strength and stiffness, low cost, low density, low CO2 emission, biodegradability and annually renewable. Plant fibers as fillers and reinforcements for polymers are currently the fastest-growing type of polymer additives. Since automakers are aiming to make every part either recyclable or biodegradable, there still seems to be some scope for green-composites based on biodegradable polymers and plant fibers. From a technical point of view, these bio-based composites will enhance mechanical strength and acoustic performance, reduce material weight and fuel consumption, lower production cost, improve passenger safety and shatterproof performance under extreme temperature changes, and improve biodegradability for the auto interior parts.

Introduction

In the past decades, Greenpeace groups and NGOs in various countries have increasingly addressed the environmental impact of the chemical substances, fully recognized as a global issue. As a consequence, this awareness is pushing governments toward more stringent legislation, which promotes the preservation and protection of the quality of the environment for future generations. To overcome the problem at the source, the chemical industry must develop cleaner chemical processes or materials by the design of innovative and environmentally benign chemical reactions. Green chemistry offers the tools for this approach. In the other words, green chemistry is the chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances (Anastas and Kirchhoff, 2002). A significant goal of green chemistry must be to maximize the efficiency of use of raw materials and to minimize the creation of waste (Trost, 2002).

As a result of this, composite industries are seeking more environmental friendly materials for their products. There is an increasing interest in biodegradable renewable composites reinforced with plant fiber. The combination of interesting mechanical and physical properties together with their sustainable character has triggered various activities in the area of ‘green-composites’.

The present work aims to provide a short review on developments in the area of wood–plastic composites (WPCs) and their applications in automotives industries using plant-based fibers.

Section snippets

What is WPC?!

WPC was born as a modern concept in Italy in the 1970s, and popularized in North America in the early 1990s. By the start of the 21st century it was spreading to India, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and China (Pritchard, 2004). WPCs may be one of the most dynamic sectors of today’s plastic industry with an average annual growth rate of approximately 18% in Northern America and 14% in Europe (Gupta et al., 2007). It has been reported that 460 million pounds of WPCs were produced in 1999. Statistics

Plant fibers

Much academic research and industrial development explores new ways to create greener and environmentally friendlier chemicals and materials for a variety of applications. Fibers can be classified into two main groups: man-made and natural. Natural fibers offer the potential to deliver greater added value, sustainability, renewability and lower costs especially in the automotive industry (Bismarck et al., 2006). In general, natural fibers are subdivided based on their origins, coming from

Green-composite application on automotive industries

Manufacturers and engineers are always on the look out for new materials and improved processes to use in manufacturing better products, and thus maintain their competitive edge and increase their profit margin. WPCs are being used in a large number of applications in automotives, constructions, marine, electronic and aerospace (Fig. 2). The WPCs market is now a multibillion-dollar business. The major market identified for the application of green WPCs, the replacement of fiberglass and steels,

Concluding remarks

  • 1.

    WPC is a very promising, sustainable and biodegradable green material to achieve durability without using toxic chemicals.

  • 2.

    The extensive use of plant fibers and their products is because of their properties such as low density, relative high strength, modulus and stiffness, non-abrasive nature, high level of filler loadings, biodegradability and safe working environment. On the other hand, plant fibers are an annually renewable raw material and their availability is more or less unlimited.

  • 3.

    When

Acknowledgements

Author would like to acknowledge the financial support (Grant No. #600-47) by the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST).

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