Economics of Radiation Versus Heat-Catalyst Curing for Wood-Plastic Flooring Plant

Several commercial companies are now producing wood-plastic flooring materials. Initial research indicated that either ⁶⁰Co or heat-catalyst combinations could be used for the polymerization sequence. This paper evaluates the capital and manufacturing costs for each type of plant, based on an annual throughput of 6 million ft², and discusses various production considerations which led to the choice of ⁶⁰Co as the preferred method for polymerization.