Properties of wood flour/expanded polystyrene waste composites modified with diammonium phosphate flame retardant

The objective of the study was to evaluate properties of waste plastic composite samples manufactured from expanded polystyrene waste (EPS) and sawdust containing diammonium phosphate (DAP) as flame retardant. Thermal degradation along with dimension stability and mechanical characteristics of the specimens as a function of DAP content were determined. The wood fiber/EPS composite modified with DAP content up to 20 wt% resulted in the best linear burning rate. The rate of thermal degradation of samples also substantially decreased while limiting oxygen index and char residual increased. Overall dimension stability in the form of water absorption and thickness swelling along with flexural characteristics of the samples were found comparable to those of commercial wood plastic composites. The wood fiber/EPS containing DAP showed high potential for use as wood composite products with adequate fire resistance. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:604–612, 2015.