Biodegradable polymer-wood flour composites: main properties and biodegradability

Abstract

During the last years, a considerably increasing rate of attention has arisen on biodegradable polymers. In the meanwhile, the use of wood-plastic composites (WPC) has grown in importance, especially in the United States. The combination of biodegradable polymers and wood-based fillers allows obtaining the typical advantages achievable with the use of WPCs, with the further advantage of the biodegradability and compostability of the matrix (and not only of the filler). In this work, the characterization and the biodegradability assessment of Mater-Bi®-wood flour composites have been carried out.