Wood-plastic composites, referred to as wood-plastic composites (abbreviated as WPC), are also known as wood plastic, plastic wood, environmentally friendly wood, etc. The definition given in the American Society for Testing and Materials standards (ASTM) is "a composite material mainly made of wood or cellulose as the base material and plastic (can also be a variety of plastics)".
1. Introduction to plastic wood industry
In recent years, the degradation and recycling problems caused by the large-scale consumption of plastic products have become one of the environmental protection issues that society urgently needs to solve. According to statistical data provided by the Recycled Plastics Branch of the China Material Recycling Association, approximately 63 million tons of waste plastics will need to be disposed of in our country in 2022, of which 18.9 million tons will be recycled and reused, accounting for only 30%. Far less than the production volume of plastics, this will inevitably lead to the increasing accumulation of waste plastics.
In addition, our country is one of the countries with the most scarce forest area per capita. Due to the rapid economic development, the amount of wood is increasing day by day, and the existing wood supply will not be able to meet people's daily needs. With the increasing awareness of global environmental protection, and under the guidance of national circular economy policies, calls for protecting resources and strengthening resource recycling are growing.
People are paying more and more attention to environmental resources. The circular economy development model with waste material recycling and comprehensive utilization of resources as the core has become the trend of world economic development. The development and application of plastic-wood composite materials is a solution to the problem of waste plastic recycling and wood reduction. It is an effective way of usage and is a typical representative of resource recycling and sustainable development.
Plastic wood solves the problem of recycling waste resources in the plastic and wood industries. At the same time, it can replace solid wood, plastic and aluminum alloys in many fields such as courtyard construction, architectural decoration, municipal gardens, and tourist facilities. It is a new green building material that conforms to the circular economy.
Plastic wood is made of recycled plastic (made from recycled waste polypropylene PP, polyethylene PE, polyvinyl chloride PVC, etc.), and is mixed into new wood materials by adding wood powder, rice husk, straw and other waste plant fibers , and then through extrusion molding and other plastic processing processes to produce plates or profiles.
The raw material resources required for the production of plastic wood are abundant. Among them, recycled plastic is made by recycling waste plastics. It not only has a wide range of sources, but also has the practical functions of environmental protection and low price; wood powder of various types of wood and various plant fibers They can all be used as raw materials, such as industrial and agricultural waste, wood chips, wood powder, wood scraps, rice husks, straw, bamboo powder, etc.
Due to the dual characteristics of wood and plastic, plastic wood materials overcome the shortcomings of wood materials such as high water absorption, easy deformation and cracking, and easy to be eaten by insects and mildew. It not only maintains the affinity of solid wood, but also has moisture-proof, water-proof, acid and alkali resistance. , antifungal, antistatic, anti-insect and other good properties. The main processes of plastic wood manufacturing include extrusion molding, hot press molding, injection molding and other processes. Currently, the extrusion molding process is the most widely used and the most mature technology.
2. Plastic-wood composite materials have broad application prospects
Due to the good performance and green and environmentally friendly characteristics of plastic wood, various types of plastic wood products have now formed a relatively mature and standardized industry and market in developed countries such as Europe and the United States, and have been widely used. The application fields of products have changed from being single in the early days to producing ordinary products. Logistics and transportation pallets are mainly used, and gradually expanded to many fields such as courtyard construction, architectural decoration, municipal gardens, tourist facilities, automobile industry, packaging and transportation industries. In addition to decking, there are also wainscoting, ceilings, decorative boards, tread boards, wall panels, highway noise barriers, seaside flooring, building formwork, moisture-proof boards, etc., all of which can use plastic wood composite products.
In addition, it can also be used for decorative borders, fences and garden handrails, packaging pads and combination pallets, as well as furniture (including outdoor tables and chairs), ship cabin partitions, office partitions, storage boxes, flower boxes, movable racks, Push stack panels, blinds, etc. Wood-plastic composite materials can replace solid wood, plastics, aluminum alloys and other materials. They have a wide range of application scenarios and good development sustainability, and have broad prospects for industrial development.
3. Global plastic wood market demand continues to grow
According to StrategyR statistics, the global wood plastic composite market size is expected to be US$5.619 billion in 2022, and the market size is expected to reach US$12.598 billion by 2030, with a compound growth rate of 10.62%. The largest market for wood-plastic composite materials is in North America, where its usage has reached considerable scale. Due to its wide range of use scenarios, its market size has maintained a rapid growth rate in the long term. The market size is expected to grow from US$1.492 billion in 2022 to 2030. 2.916 billion US dollars in 2016, with a compound growth rate of 8.74%.
Due to the high market entry barriers in the United States and Canada, local production companies are higher than domestic production companies in terms of scale and brand. However, there are still a few powerful leading companies in the country that are working hard to develop and have achieved certain results. The European market as a whole is growing rapidly, and product sales are mainly ordinary products, but the sales of fully covered co-extruded wood products are growing rapidly. Other emerging markets around the world are also growing rapidly, such as Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Northern Europe, South America and Oceania. Many domestic plastic wood companies are actively exploring emerging markets through exhibitions and other methods, and have achieved good results.
