Plastic wood or wooden plastic?

Want to reduce your carbon footprint? Well, the scientists at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST) have created a new form of material that marries wood and plastic together.

“We mix wood and plastic together but by nature the two repel one another. It’s like merging oil and water. So, we have created a novel coupling agent that will bring about the interfacial adhesion,” said Dr Ajay G Karmarkar, scientist at IWST.

Karmarkar elaborated that the new blended material features 50% wood and 50% plastic and it does more than being environment friendly.

“By adding wood to plastic, the tensile strength of the material actually increases by 40% compared to pure plastic,” he said.
However, Karmarkar points out that the material, while being more conducive to the environment, is not completely eco-friendly either. “This material is not biodegradable. The wood would degrade eventually but the plastic will obviously remain. But what it does accomplish is the fact we are reducing the use of plastic by 50%,” he said.

The material also happens to be a substitute to plastic, added Karmarkar.

“The cost is significantly reduced as this is cheaper than manufacturing plastic and this is not hurting the environment as much as we are by only using the wood from wood waste and wood flow. So, we are not cutting down trees for this as well,” he added.

Karmarkar highlighted that the technology developed at IWST is ready for commercial use and that a company from Mangalore has recently started using the technology. “This material has several applications. In US, similar wood and plastic hybrids have been used in making doors, windows and even packaging. It is yet to catch up in India,” he says.

He was also quick to warn against those who do not believe in using wood for various industrial purposes. “There are people who advise you to opt for steel doors instead of wood doors. What they don’t realise is that more energy is required to transport the ore and in the creation of steel doors,” he said.

Karmakar said that IWST has applied for patents. “It is a long process, but we have applied for two patents on the wood and plastic composites and it’s under examination. But it is ready for commercial use, otherwise,” he said.