Wood plastic composites made from corn husk fiber and recycled polystyrene foam

This research is a preliminary study on the preparation of wood plastic composites (WPC) from corn husk fiber (CHF) and recycled polystyrene foam (rPS). The effects of fiber content and alkaline treatment on tensile, thermal, water absorption and morphological properties of the composites were investigated. The rPS/CHF composites were prepared using melt compounding and compression moulding processes. The results showed that an increase of fiber content increased the tensile strength, modulus, and thermal stability (T_d50%) of composites. However, the water absorption of composites increased vastly as the fiber content increases. The addition of more fiber also caused an earlier thermal degradation to composites. Alkaline treatment has improved the tensile strength, modulus, thermal stability (T_d10%), and also reduced water absorption of rPS/CHF composites. The WPS prepared from rPS and treated CHF shows better tensile and thermal properties with lower water absorption.