CICY proposes plastic wood for the construction industry in Yucatán

An academic from the Yucatan Scientific Research Center (CICY) managed to create a plastic wood, which is an innovative material for the construction industry.

Mérida, Yucatan, (December 15, 2021).- A Yucatecan academic from the CICY seeks to surprise the construction industry in the state with a new input material which he has called “plastic wood”.

This is Dr. Javier Guillén Mallette, development engineer of the CIT-Materials Unit of the CICY, who explained that this material has special characteristics, as well as a low cost. He explained that this project seeks to promote sustainable wood production and the promotion of the circular economy.

Plastic wood, detailed the CICY researcher, is obtained mainly from the use of discarded wood products and by-products that are generated during their transformation, such as pieces of wood, shavings, and sawdust (lignocellulosic residues), in this way as from plastic waste generated during its production and consumption

Guillén Mallette explained that to create plastic wood, a heat-based process is required to melt plastic materials and incorporate lignocellulosic residues, followed by a cooling procedure to obtain a final shape according to its application.

This input can be produced from other lignocellulosic residues such as agricultural residues (for example, corn waste) and agro-industrial residues, such as henequen bagasse, sugarcane, oil palm, or barley, among others.

Advantages of plastic wood

According to the doctor, among the advantages of plastic wood created inside the CICY, it has advantages over conventional wood such as:

-A greater resistance to humidity and termite attack
-A competitive price both for intensive use and for having long-lasting applications