What I have seen of them, They have their down side. RJ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Boyce, Ray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 7:12 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Wood Plastic Composites
> Hi > Wood-plastic composites, often used for such things as outdoor decking, > are one of the fastest growing components of the wood composites > industry. Some > projections have suggested that these products, which were used for less > than 1 percent of decking in the mid-1990s, may capture 20 percent of > that market > by 2010. > > "Composite products made from wood and plastic are highly desirable for > their low maintenance and ability to resist rot," said Kaichang Li, an > associate > professor in the OSU Department of Wood Science and Engineering. "But > their use has been limited because of high cost and low strength, a > result of inadequate > adhesion between the wood fibers and plastic." > > Fundamentally, Li said, this is because wood and plastic are like oil > and water, and do not mix well. Wood is hydrophilic -- it absorbs water > -- and plastic > is hydrophobic, repelling it. A "compatibilizer," typically a polymer > that bridges the interface between the wood and plastic in these > products, improves > stress transfer and increases their strength and stiffness. > > The new wood-plastic composites use superior compatibilizers developed > in Li's laboratory, and an innovative technology for mixing wood and > thermoplastics > such as nylons, in which the melting temperature of the plastic is > higher than the wood degradation temperature. > > With this approach, the new wood-plastic composites can use very > inexpensive plastics such as those found in old carpet fibers -- about > 4.4 billion pounds > of which are now wasted every year, going into landfills where they are > extremely slow to biodegrade and pose a significant waste disposal > problem. > > They could also open the door for improved utilization of low-grade > woody biomass from needed thinning of Oregon forests, which is > increasingly being done > to improve forest health and prevent catastrophic wildfire. A better > "value added" use for that wood fiber could be important, experts say. > > The technology may prompt a major expansion of the wood-plastic > composite industry into new types of products and uses, experts say. In > particular, such > products may help further replace wood treated with chemical > preservatives, some of which have already been banned due to health and > environmental concerns. > > "This new material is far superior to anything currently available in > the wood-plastic composite market," Li said. "It should become an > important new product > and an industry with the potential for rapid growth." > > So far, the research on the new product has only been done at a > laboratory scale. Findings have been published in the Journal of Applied > Polymer Science > and other professional publications. > > Scientists now want to duplicate the findings at something much closer > to an industrial scale, which they will be able to do with the > contribution to OSU > of a $180,000 extruder from ENTEK, a Lebanon, Ore., firm that > manufactures extruders for bio-based composites. > > A local startup company in Corvallis, Sustainable Industries Group, LLC, > is also supporting the research. And the Oregon Nanoscience and > Microtechnologies > Institute has provided support to get the new equipment installed, which > also has the capability to produce nanocomposite materials. > > The new wood-plastic composites are just the latest advance with new > adhesives and materials from Li's research programs. In the past few > years, his research > also began a revolution in wood adhesives. Inspired by the way mussels > on the ocean shore cling to rocks despite pounding waves, Li found their > secret > -- an unusual adhesive that could be mimicked by modifications of > abundant and inexpensive soy protein. The modified soy protein can be > used as an adhesive > for production of plywood, particleboard and other wood composite > panels, without giving off the carcinogenic formaldehyde fumes common > with traditional > wood adhesives. > > That patented adhesive has already been commercially used for production > of wood composite panels by Columbia Forest Products, the largest > producer of decorative > interior panels in the nation. All plywood plants of Columbia Forest > Products have been converted to using the new technology in face of > rapidly rising > demand. > > And one of the latest innovations, still in early research phases, is > cellulose crystals from wood for use in rubber products. Products such > as tires now > often use silica in their manufacturing processes, which can create > waste disposal concerns. The use of wood -- a renewable material -- > might address that > problem and some day have the nation driving on tires made at least > partially out of trees. > > ********************************************************************** > This message and its attachments may contain legally > privileged or confidential information. If you are not the > intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the > information contained in it. If you have received this e-mail > in error, please notify the sender immediately by return > e-mail and delete the e-mail. > > Any content of this message and its attachments which > does not relate to the official business of Eraring Energy > must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by > Eraring Energy. No warranty is made that the e-mail or > attachment(s) are free from computer virus or other defect. > ********************************************************************** > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html > or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. > http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml > > Visit The New Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following Address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ > Visit the new archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! 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