Influence of Modifiers on the Physicomechanical Properties of Sawdust-Polyethylene Composites

Polymer-wood composites based on recycled polyethylene (RPE) are investigated. Dispersed alder sawdust was utilized as a filler. To improve the compatibility between the nonpolar matrix and the polar wood fibers as a reinforcement, two types of modifiers were used, which differed in their chemical nature and mechanical interaction with the constituents of the composites. The modifiers of the first type (paraffin and OP) improved the dispersibility of sawdust (SD), and those of the second type (Exxelor 1015 and OREVAC) contained groups of maleic anhydride, which interacted with the OH-groups of SD. The effect of the modifiers on the moisture sorption by SD, the dispersibility of the filler in the matrix, and the strength characteristics (ultimate strengths and moduli in tension and bending) of dry and moist RPE–SD composites and on their moisture sorption is estimated. The best results were obtained for the composites modified with paraffin, which is due to the more efficient employment of the strength and rigidity of well-dispersed SD fibers. In their strength characteristics, the RPE-based composites investigated are comparable to composites based on low-density polyethylene.