ScienceDaily reports on findings from the University of Eastern Finland:
There is an increasing need to find new alternatives for crude oil based materials such as plastics. Wood-Plastic Composites [WPCs] are natural fibre composites with properties of both plastic and wood. These composites are used, for example, in buildings and in the manufacture of automobiles…
Wood and plastics are very different materials in terms of their chemical properties, which is why additives are used in WPCs to enhance the compatibility of these constituents. Additives are also used to improve composites’ water absorbing and weather resistance properties, among other things. However, some additives are rather expensive and their incorporation into WPCs is not straightforward. Thus, WPCs are in need of novel and effective additives that are based on renewable resources.