p.47
p.63
p.75
p.89
p.103
p.111
p.121
p.129
p.139
Performance Evaluation of a Wood-Polymer Composite Extruder
Abstract:
Sawdust and used plastic materials are generally considered as waste and due to the inability of the later to degrade, it constitutes a lot of hazard to the environment and ecosystem. This research aimed at evaluating the performance and quality of the extrudates produced from a single screw wood-plastic composite extruder. The machine performance was evaluated using shredded Poly ethylene, terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to produce wood-plastic composites. The composite comprising of six samples of different mix ratios (plastic to stone dust mix ratio of 60:40, 70:30 and 80:20 and plastic to sawdust mix ratio of 60:40, 70:30 and 80:20) of the materials. Temperature range of 200°C to 300°C was adopted throughout the evaluation. The plastic composite was shredded into smaller bits and then inserted into the plastic chamber for melting at a determined temperature. The functional efficiency, throughput capacity, specific energy consumption, and selected physical properties were evaluated. Data collected were analyzed using Microsoft Excel package. It was discovered that the extruder work optimally when the mixing ratio of plastic to sawdust and plastic to stone dust content were in the ratio 80% and 20% which gave the functional efficiency of 73% and 84% respectively. However, it was observed that the throughput capacity of the machine has the highest at the 70% and 30% mixing ratio of plastic to stone dust of 7.2 kg/hr and plastic to sawdust of 9.38 kg/hr respectively. Also, the specific energy consumption has its highest value at 60% and 40% mixing ratio of the plastic to stone dust and saw dust of 5.67 KWh/Kg and 1.7 KWh/Kg respectively. A linear trend on the effect of the percentage of wood and stone content on the unit density of the products was also observed. It was observed that the higher the wood or stone dust content in the composite the denser the products. There are no changes in the physical composition in terms of size (length and thickness ) and mass such as water absorption, thickness swelling and linear expansion. It was observed that the extruder performed optimally when the percentage of plastic & wood and plastic & stone dust were in the mix ratio of 80 and 20 respectively. These products can be use for internal and external applications in buildings and other structures.
Info:
Periodical:
Pages:
129-138
DOI:
Citation:
Online since:
February 2026
Keywords:
Price:
Сopyright:
© 2026 Trans Tech Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Share:
Citation: