Award Abstract # 2226952
I-Corps: Recycled plastic lumber building material replacement for structural lumber

NSF Org: TI
Translational Impacts
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Initial Amendment Date: May 31, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: May 31, 2022
Award Number: 2226952
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Ruth Shuman
rshuman@nsf.gov
 (703)292-2160
TI
 Translational Impacts
TIP
 Dir for Tech, Innovation, & Partnerships
Start Date: June 1, 2022
End Date: December 31, 2023 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $50,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $50,000.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2022 = $50,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • Rasim Guldiken (Principal Investigator)
    guldiken@usf.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of South Florida
4202 E FOWLER AVE
TAMPA
FL  US  33620-5800
(813)974-2897
Sponsor Congressional District: 15
Primary Place of Performance: University of South Florida
4202 E FOWLER AVE
TAMPA
FL  US  33620-9951
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
15
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): NKAZLXLL7Z91
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): I-Corps
Primary Program Source: 01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 8021
Program Element Code(s): 8023
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.084

ABSTRACT

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a recycled plastic building material intended as a drop-in replacement for structural lumber. This proposed material is similar in cost to lumber and may provide equivalent installation methods, may reduce weight, and may prevent damage due to rot and insects. The proposed initial application is the US agricultural fence post market: 206 million linear feet of fencing or 15 million fence posts annually. Using current lumber prices, this market is estimated to have a current value of $98 million. The softwood sawn dimensional lumber, the targeted industry, has an approximate market value of $39 billion in the United States. Based on initial customer interviews, wood fence posts typically last 10-20 years. The polymers utilized in the proposed material have a useful life of 30-50 years, significantly reducing future costs for end users. Additionally, the reduction in wood usage could reduce the 10 million acres of forest harvested for fence posts each year in the United States. The goal is to develop a material that directly replaces lumber while utilizing low-cost recycled materials and providing a similar or reduced price compared to lumber.

This I-Corps project is based on the development of a composite material that matches the driving force and withdrawal force of nails and other fasteners used in wood. The proposed material utilizes an over jacketing extrusion technique to increase the gross mechanical strength of the section as well as a hollow composite composed of the proposed materials. The innovation requires an increase in the coefficient of friction while reducing the compressive strength to allow for nails to be driven by hand. Over jacketing extrusion must be reconfigured to allow for coextrusion of the bulk composite material with macro-reinforcement, which is similar to the reinforcement method used in reinforced concrete. These requirements must be maintained while allowing for a hollow section to reduce material costs. The project seeks an improved understanding of the influence of additives or fillers based on polymer-based composites. Fillers provide advantages including reduced costs, increased stiffness, and increased compressive strength, and their usage has increased in the polymer industry. Futrue activities will focus on the introduction of fillers for increased friction in mechanically fastened connections.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Cotter, John and Guldiken, Rasim "Reinforced, Nailable Rubber Concrete with Strength and Withdrawal Properties Similar to Lumber" Journal of Composites Science , v.7 , 2023 https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs7100405 Citation Details
Cotter, John and Guldiken, Rasim "Bulk Glass Reinforced Composite Columns: Physical Testing Results, Analysis, and Discussion" Journal of Composites Science , v.7 , 2023 https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs7060241 Citation Details

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

Through our I Corps participation and grant, we were able to accomplish many goals. Our initial product was recycled plastic lumber, a technology that allows recycled plastics to develop the strength of lumber. The primary goal was to communicate with potential customers. We conducted a total of 126 interviews, of which 110 were in person. By conducting these interviews, we were able to establish that agricultural fencing may be a potential market for our product. An added advantage for our potential customers is that while most items intended for structural applications require extensive product approval, many fencing applications require no product approval.

Via additional feedback from supplementary interviews, we were able to determine that, by modifying our product, we could bring said product to market more quickly. As such, we adjusted our product to a nailable rubber concrete, a technology that was being jointly developed alongside our recycled plastic lumber. This nailable rubber concrete uses approximately 50% recycled material as the basis of the product and provides the necessary nail and screw withdrawal strength for typical applications. We’ve filed a patent regarding the nailable rubber concrete, and a second patent will be filed in 2024 for a related technology.

Since we began developing our minimum viable product, we established a Limited Liability Company and a website, and we are modifying our manufacturing process further to allow for our product to be manufactured at significantly higher speeds, thereby reducing future labor costs when scaling further.

Our current goals are to scale up production as well as showcase our product to previous interviewees. The product itself functions as intended; however, we are developing superior manufacturing methods and other potential applications, including decking and deck boards, beams, columns, and more efficient structural shapes.

 


Last Modified: 01/22/2024
Modified by: Rasim Guldiken

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