TITLE:
Evaluation of Sawdust and Rice Husks as Fillers for Phenolic Resin Based Wood-Polymer Composites
AUTHORS:
Marieme Josephine Lette, Elhadji Babacar Ly, Diene Ndiaye, Akito Takasaki, Toshihiro Okabe
KEYWORDS:
Wood-Polymer Composite, Phenolic Resin, Sawdust, Rice Husks, Mechanical Properties, Thermal Stability, Ultraviolet Effects, Water Absorption Properties
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Composite Materials,
Vol.8 No.3,
July
27,
2018
ABSTRACT: We produced Wood-Polymer Composites
(WPCs) with phenolic resin (PR) filled with saw dust (SD) and rice husks (RH) in
a PR:fillerratio of 60:40 wt.%. RH and SD were grinded and sieved into
particles μm. The aim of this research work
was to evaluate sawdust and rice husks as fillers for sustainable phenolic resin
based WPCs. Therefore, we investigated the thermal stability of PR/RH and PR/SD
WPCs then we studied and compared the tensile, flexural
properties of PR/SD and PR/RH WPCs samples, as well as their dimensional stability after water
absorption test. Furthermore, through ultraviolet light exposure, we evaluated the
effects of photo-oxidation on the water stability and mechanical properties of PR/RH
and PR/SD WPCs samples compared to unexposed ones. PR filled with SD presented better
mechanical properties compared to PR/RH WPCs samples. However, PR/RH WPCs showed
good mechanical properties, and better thermal resistance and better water repulsion
capabilities compared to PR/SD WPCs samples. Although, long time UV exposure
ended up lowering considerably the mechanical properties and water resistance of
PR/SD and PR/RH WPCs, both RH and SD offer great added value as fillers for PR based
WPCs; SD having better interactions with PR matrix compared to RH.