Waste Pine Cones as a Source of Reinforcing Fillers for Thermoplastic Composites

In this study, we evaluated some physical and mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) composites reinforced with pine-cone flour and wood flour. Five types of wood plastic composites (WPCs) were prepared from mixtures of cone flour, wood flour, PP, and a coupling agent. The water resistance and flexural properties of the composites were negatively affected by an increase in cone-flour content. Extractives in the cone flour had a significant effect on the flexural properties of the WPCs. However, the flexural properties and water resistance of the WPC samples were not significantly affected by the addition of 10 wt % of the cone flour when compared to the WPC samples made from wood flour. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 117: 2324-2330, 2010