Enhancement of wood-plastic composite properties in presence of recycled vehicular soot as a carbon source material: Sustainable management approach

In the study, the wood-plastic composites (WPCs) were prepared using recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS) and sawdust as biomass material. The recycled vehicular soot (RVS) was used as a potential carbon based additive in the composites; and its effect on the properties of the composites was studied. In the process, the soot loading was varied in the range of 0-2.5 wt%. The composites were prepared using the compression moulding method. The effect of recycled soot on the physico-mechanical and thermal properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength, compression strength, impact strength, hardness, screw holding power / screw withdrawal force, water absorption and thermal stability of the in-house prepared WPCs was studied. From the results, it was observed that the mechanical properties of the composites improved in presence of soot and its loading. The soot offered positive results in mechanical properties when it was used up to a loading of 1.0 wt% in the composites. However, the soot loading beyond 1.0 wt% resulted in obtaining the detrimental results in the properties of the composites. The probable reason for decrease in composite properties when the soot was used beyond 1.0 wt% was due to the agglomeration of the soot particles in the composite network. The water absorption values of the composites decreased continuously with the increase of soot loading from 0 to 2.5 wt% due to the hydrophobic nature of soot. The prepared composites were thermally stable up to a temperature of around 240 degrees C. From the outcome of the study, it can be concluded that the recycled soot can be used as a potential substitute to commercial carbon material in the composites to enhance its properties; and also to prepare cost-effective composites.

Automated summary

The study investigated the use of recycled expanded polystyrene and sawdust to prepare wood-plastic composites. The effect of recycled vehicular soot as a carbon based additive on the properties of the composites was examined. It was found that the mechanical properties of the composites improved with the addition of soot up to a certain loading, but deteriorated at higher loadings due to agglomeration of the soot particles in the composite network.