Wood plastic composites (WPC) waste based triboelectric nanogenerator for mechanical energy harvesting and self-powered applications

[Display omitted] •Waste wood-plastic composite (WPC) is used to create sustainable TENG.•The WPC- TENG produced an output voltage of 31 V, a current of 30 µA, and a power density of 107.5 mW/m2.•The TENG successfully powered multiple LEDs and portable electronic devices.•Repurposing WPC for TENG fabrication contributes to waste reuse, and environmental pollution reduction. The utilization of waste materials for energy production and storage is gaining significant attention due to its numerous advantages, including waste material reuse and the reduction of environmental pollution. A promising technology in this field is triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG), which have proven to be a simple and cost-effective method for harnessing ambient mechanical energy using waste materials. This report focused on applying waste wood-plastic composite (WPC) collected from the house construction sites to fabricate TENG for energy harvesting. The fabricated TENG device exhibited an output voltage and current of approximately 31 V and 30 µA, respectively, with a power density of 107.5 mW/m2. Moreover, the device successfully powered around 80 LEDs and portable electronic devices. By repurposing waste materials like WPC and utilizing TENG technology, this approach showcases the potential for efficient and sustainable energy generation.