Recent Research Developments in Wood Plastic Composites

摘要

Wood plastic composites (WPCs) have experienced significant market expansion in recent years as a replacement for solid wood, mainly in outdoor applications such as railings, decking, landscaping timbers, fencing, playground equipment, windows and door frames, etc. The growth of this industry far exceeds that of other plastic industries since its emergence in the late 1980s. The industry produced a reported 1.0 billion kg (2.3 billion pounds) of WPCs and plastic lumbers in 2005 in North America, and statistics predict that the market will reach about 1.6 billion kg (3.6 billion pounds) by 2009 at an average annual growth rate of 9.5% (Report RP-186 Plastic and Wood/Natural Fiber Composites, from Business Communications Company, Inc.). Experts still predict continued market growth rates for WPCs, even though the housing industry has diminished. The acceptance of WPCs into the construction industry to replace chro-mated copper arsenate pressure-treated solid wood in several outdoor applications contributes to the popularity of WPCs.