COMPOSITES ACRYLIC COPOLYMERS –WOOD WASTE

Abstract

Wood is a three dimensional polymeric composite made primarily of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. Various composite wood products are now obtained, which are preferred as engineering materials, because they are economical, low in processing energy, renewable, displaying superior mechanical properties, dimensional stability, greater resistance to chemical and biological degradation, and less moisture absorption. Our research was focused on synthesis and characterization of new composites materials based on acrylic copolymers and wood waste sawdust and calcium lignosulfonate. Improved properties of the new composites are obtained as the result of complex interactions, by esterification and etherification reactions, between the hydroxyl groups of wood waste sawdust and calcium lignosulfonate and the ester, carboxyl and carboxylate functional groups from the acrylic copolymer (the matrix).The chemistry behind the interactions of acrylic copolymer with lignocellulosic waste sawdust and calcium lignosulfonate was demonstrated by FT-IR analysis and AFM. The proposed new ecological composites materials are in agreement with nowadays research in the field of recycling wood waste to obtain new ecological materials used as coatings or landscape pavers.