THE USE OF TWIN-SCREW EXTRUSION IN PROCESSING OF WOOD: THE EFFECT OF PROCESSING PARAMETERS AND PRETREATMENT

In this study the effect of processing parameters on different types of wood raw material in extrusion was examined. The study consisted of two parts: the first part was to break and separate individual fibers from wood chips during the extrusion process; in the second part the effect of chemical pre-treatment and screw elements on wood raw material was evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the most important factors affecting wood particle size in extrusion. The statistical analysis showed that the screw speed is the main factor affecting wood fiber length in twin-screw extrusion of wood chips. This study showed that a twin-screw extruder can be used to separate individual fibers from wood chips, and the separated fibers have higher aspect ratios than the wood flour particles typically used in wood-polymer composites. When more fibrous and chemically softened wood raw material was used, fibers with even higher aspect ratios were obtained.