Quantification of polypropylene in wood plastic composites (WPCs) by means of differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Wood plastic composites (WPCs) attract attention as one of the eco-friendly materials in the world. The evaluation for the durabilities of WPCs materials is become more important because WPCs are mainly used as exterior decking. Since the durabilities of WPCs are much influenced by the content of plastics, the necessity of their quantification is increasing. In this study, the quantitative analysis of plastics in WPCs were conducted by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) for the purpose of developing easy methods in order to evaluate the amount of plastics in WPCs. As one of the non destructive quantitative analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry with attenuated total reflectance (FTIRATR) analysis was also carried out. As a result, highly accurate calibration curves were determined by DSC and FTIR-ATR analysis. It became clear that the percentage of plastic in WPCs can be calculated by using the calibration curves.