Method for producing wood fibre-plastics composite products
AssigneeNew Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited
InventorsJeremy Martin Warnes, Alan Fernyhough
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for producing a composite product comprising fibers of a lignocellulosic material or natural fibers and a plastics material utilizes a liquid or particulate binder formulation comprising a thermoset resin and a thermoplastic polymer, monomer, or oligomer. A composite product is formed for use as or in forming a feedstock in plastics manufacture may be broken down under heat and mechanical shearing in a plastics extrusion machine to release the major fraction of the fibers, or the product may be useful as an intermediate product in other form or as an end product.
Claims50
A process for producing a product comprising wood fibres, for use as or in forming a feedstock in plastics manufacture, which comprises applying to lose or divided wood fibres or wood fibre bundles, produced by mechanically or thermomechanically or chemo-thermomechanically or chemo-mechanically breaking down wood, a liquid or particulate binder formulation comprising a thermoset resin and a thermoplastic polymer, monomer, or oligomer, and consolidating the fibres into a solid product which may be subsequently broken down to release a major fraction of the fibres, the thermoset resin being selected from a formaldehyde-based polymer and an isocyanate, the solid product comprising less than 10 parts of the binder formulation per 100 parts of wood fibre by dried weight and from about 0.3 to about 5 parts of the thermoset resin per 100 parts of wood fibre by dried weight.
A process for producing pellets or granules comprising wood fibres, for use as a feedstock in plastics manufacture, which comprises:
- conveying loose or divided wood fibres or wood fibre bundles, produced by mechanically or thermomechanically or chemo-thermomechanically or chemo-mechanically breaking down wood, in a dry or wet air stream and applying to the fibres, while so conveying the fibres, a liquid formulation comprising urea formaldehyde and one or more thermoplastic polymers, monomers, or oligomers, or a low amount of urea formaldehyde resin binder,
- forming the fibres into a solid product, and
- breaking down the solid product to produce said pellets or granules,
- the pellets or granules comprising less than 10 parts of the liquid formulation per 100 parts of wood fibre by dried weight and from about 0.3 to about 5 parts of the urea formaldehyde per 100 parts of wood fibre by dried weight.
A panel product comprising wood fibres and a binder formulation, the binder formulation comprising a thermoset resin and a thermoplastic polymer, monomer, or oligomer, the thermoset resin being selected from a formaldehyde-based polymer and an isocyanate, the panel product comprising less than 10 parts of binder formulation per 100 parts of fibre by dried weight and from about 0.3 to about 5 parts of the thermoset resin per 100 parts of fibre by dried weight.
Pellets or granules comprising wood fibres and a binder formulation, the binder formulation comprising a thermoset resin and a thermoplastic polymer, monomer, or oligomer, the thermoset resin being selected from a formaldehyde-based polymer, and an isocyanate, the pellets or granules comprising less than 10 parts of binder formulation per 100 parts of fibre by dried weight and from about 0.3 to about 5 parts of the thermoset resin per 100 parts of fibre by dried weight.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.