**Önder Pekcan**

**1**

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

**1. Introduction**

tute for natural wood [4, 5].

lumber formulations [10, 11].

Plastic Lumber

*and Elen B. A. Vasques Pacheco*

Processing and Properties of

*Fernanda A. dos Santos, Leonardo B. Canto,* 

*Ana Lúcia N. da Silva, Leila Lea Yuan Visconte*

**Keywords:** recycling, plastic lumber, plastic, reprocessing, property

Plastic residue can be processed into composites using wood flour, mineral fillers, plant or synthetic fibers to obtain plastic lumber, a substitute material for natural wood. The composition and processing conditions are largely responsible for the final characteristics of the plastic lumber. Factors such as density, particle size and moisture content in the material to be processed require extruders with specific technical characteristics, in order to reduce the residence time of the plastic inside the equipment, maintain a constant feed rate and ensure good degassing and homogenization of the components. The composites can be manufactured using single-screw, co- or counter-rotating conical or parallel twin-screw extruders. Plastic lumber exhibits different physical and mechanical properties from natural wood, including lower stiffness (elastic modulus) and superior weathering resistance.

The increasing generation of plastic waste by industry and in urban areas in recent years has prompted concern in society and efforts to recycle discarded and unused plastic materials [1–3]. Among the alternatives to minimize plastic waste accumulation is using postconsumer plastics to produce plastic lumber as a substi-

According to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) [4, 5], the term plastic lumber applies to products made primarily from plastic (with or without additives), with a rectangular cross-section and size typical of wood products used for building. However, plastic lumber products can also exhibit a circular cross-section, as well as other shapes, with applications such as furniture and farming, among others. Most plastic lumber products on the market are made from polyethylene, particularly high-density polyethylene (HDPE), but can be obtained using polymers, such as polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or mixtures of different plastic wastes [6]. Additionally, fillers and additives, such as natural fibers, sawdust [7–9], mineral fillers and glass fiber, can be added to plastic

Both composition and processing conditions are largely responsible for the final characteristics of plastic lumber products. Research and patents demonstrate that

Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Kadir Has University, Cibali, İstanbul, Turkey

### **Dimitris S. Achilias**

Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
