We examined the influence of several variables on the mechanical properties of wood fiber-polyolefin composites blended in a thermokinetic mixer. A pure cellulose fiber and fibers from old newspaper provided similar performance in matrices of virgin polypropylene or recycled milk bottles (high density polyethylene). Relative to wood flour, these fibrous fillers led to greater strength and modulus with both plastics, to lower impact energy with polyethylene, and to similar impact energy with polypropylene. Compared with the existing commercial wood flour-polypropylene system, the totally recycled polyethylene-newspaper composite provided equivalent strength and modulus, along with greater notched impact energy. Little difference was seen in composites containing a maleated polypropylene additive in the form of the solid anhydride or the emulsified potassium salt, indicating that the additive acted as a dispersing agent and not as a strong coupling agent.
Clean water is vital to sustaining our natural environment, human health, and our economy. As infrastructure continues to deteriorate and water resources become increasingly threatened, new technologies will be needed to ensure safe and sustainable water in the future. Though the US water industry accounts for approximately 1% gross domestic product and regional "clusters" for water technology exist throughout the country, this emerging industry has not been captured by recent studies. As use of the term "cluster" becomes more prevalent, regional mapping efforts have revealed international differences in definition yet showcase this industry's economic impact. In reality, institutional processes may inhibit altering industry coding to better describe water technology. Forgoing the benefits of national economic tracking, alternative data sets are available, which may support new ways of identifying these clusters. This work provides cluster definitions; summarizes current approaches to identifying industry activity using data, interviews, and literature; and sets a foundation for future research.
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