" Supporting the development of new processes that enable more materials to be diverted from landfill is essential. Significant amounts of waste MDF are sent to landfill every year and this project aims to show that waste MDF can be a valuable resource in the manufacture of products with a market value"
Gareth Boyles, Manufacturing Development Officer at WRAP
Banbury, Oxon, England: The launch of an innovative project to demonstrate whether recycled MDF can be used in place of virgin wood flour in the manufacture of wood plastic composites (WPCs), has been announced by WRAP.
The announcement, made last week, confirmed that the project, being conducted by Scottish based firm Impact Laboratories, will include an extensive test programme to demonstrate whether the WPCs manufactured with recycled MDF (medium density fibreboard) are of comparable quality to WPCs currently available in the market.
The project will also assess whether it is economically and environmentally beneficial to use recycled MDF, which would otherwise be sent to landfill or incineration, according to WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme).
IMPACT Laboratories is an independent company providing a specialist testing and consultancy service in material, pipe and container testing for product certification or industry approval. The company has been established for four years, following a management buyout of the BP chemicals polymer testing laboratory.
The trials
MDF for the trial project will be sourced from the industrial sector. The recycled MDF could replace wood flour if trials are successful as this material can be expensive and sometimes difficult to source, says WRAP.
Wood flour is finely pulverized dried wood, which is used as a filler in thermosetting moulding compounds. The woods used in production of the flour tend to be resin-free softwoods such as pine, fir and spruce, and also hardwoods. Clearly an MDF substitute should be of great environmental benefit, especially if hardwoods can be preserved.
Wood shredded to a fibrous form may also be used as a reinforcement rather than a filler.
Manufacturers can provide wood flour of a specified blend with an appropriate particle distribution for the product concerned.
WRAP says that, if the project can demonstrate that using recycled MDF is commercially attractive compared to virgin wood flour, then the demand for wood plastic composite products could be further stimulated. Adding further to their desirability, the composites will also incorporate recycled plastics and the resultant properties can be compared directly to equivalent WPCs on the market.
Uses of WPCs
Existing WPCs can be used in a wide variety of applications such as decking timber, garden furniture and for house cladding panels. WRAP indicates that the US market for WPCs is already strong and the European market is growing.
Comments
Gareth Boyles, Manufacturing Development Officer at WRAP commented:
“Supporting the development of new processes that enable more materials to be diverted from landfill is essential. Significant amounts of waste MDF are sent to landfill every year and this project aims to show that waste MDF can be a valuable resource in the manufacture of products with a market value.”
Val Rose, Project Manager at Impact Labs commented:
“There are proven environmental and economical benefits to be developed and capitalised on by removing scrap MDF from the waste stream. With our expertise in processing and plastics we are working to produce a safe and commercially viable product with a variety of applications and markets.”
Further information
WRAP
Established as a not-for-profit company in 2000, WRAP is backed by Government funding from Defra and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Working in seven key areas (Construction, Retail, Manufacturing, Organics, Business Growth, Behavioral Change, and Local Authority Support), WRAP’s work focuses on market development and support to drive forward recycling and materials resource efficiency within these sectors, as well as wider communications and awareness activities including the multi-media national Recycle Now campaign for England.
More information on all of WRAP’s programmes can be found at www.wrap.org.uk .
IMPACT Laboratories
For further information on IMPACT Laboratories visit www.impact-labs.co.uk