Question

HOW CAN PLASTICS BE MADE OF ORGANIC MATERIALS?

Answer 1

Organic materials are used in plastic manufacturing both for making the base resin and as filler materials. Organic fillers include nut shell flours, wood flours, rice hull flour, wheat chaff, flax hulls, corn cob flour, chicken feathers, cork flour, clam shell flour, and many more. Additive organic fillers or bio-fillers are commonly used in polymer composites to extend the base resin. These polymers include polypropylene, polyethylene and PVC. Organic fillers have several advantages such as low density, low cost, and ease on processing equipment. However, natural fibers do tend to degrade in higher temperatures thus composites with these fillers are limited to plastics with low melting temperatures. Natural fibers in a thermoplastic composite also tend to lower the impact strength.
In the U.S., organic materials are often used as additive fillers in wood-plastic composites (WTC) for construction materials. For example, Composite Technology Resources in Quebec has this kind of product made of 60% rice hulls and 40% recycled high-density polyethylene. In both the U.S. and Europe, bio-fillers are used in automotive applications including interior panels, dashboards, and car roofs. For example, rice hulls from farms in Arkansas are used replace talc based fillers in the polypropylene used in an electrical harness in the 2014 Ford F- 150 truck. The Ford F series has been America’s best-selling truck for over 35 years. In the 2015 Volkswagen Golf, the front end carrier which provides support for head lamps, the engine cooling system, and other driver assistance systems are made from 50% polypropylene and 50% flax