This work focuses on the use of coconut shell powder as filler in natural rubber. Coconut, one of the food crops in the world, generates large amounts of waste material namely coconut shell. Modified and unmodified coconut shell powdernatural rubber composites with varying particle size and dosages were prepared by an open mill-mixing technique. The processing characteristics and the curing behavior of the composites were determined by Monsanto Rheometer. The technological performance was done by analyzing the tensile strength, tear strength and hardness of the vulcanizates. The swelling studies were carried out to observe the crosslink density and the reinforcement ability of the filler on natural rubber. The observed variation in mechanical properties has been supported by the fractography of the composites obtained by scanning electron microscopy. The results of the study show that the coconut shell powder is most effective filler in natural rubber at 10 parts per hundred loading. Reinforcement ability of modified coconut shell powder is more when compared to unmodified coconut shell powder, therefore modified coconut shell powder-natural rubber composites show better physicomechanical properties. Incorporation of coconut shell powder into natural rubber matrix enhances the thermal properties of the natural rubber-coconut shell powder composites.
Biodegradation studies of natural rubber composites reinforced with natural resource fillers like peanut shell powder and coconut shell powder of 10 and 40 parts per hundred part of rubber (phr) filler loadings were carried out under soil burial conditions for three/six months. The extent of biodegradation of natural rubber and natural rubber composites were evaluated through tensile strength and hardness measurements. It was observed that the durability of the composites was greatly dependent on chemical treatment, filler particle size and filler content. The stability of composites decreased with increase in filler content. Composites containing chemically treated fillers were found to be more resistant to soil erosion. But composites containing larger sized fillers were found to be less resistant to soil erosion. Surface morphology of the composites was determined using scanning electron microscopy to evaluate the degradation of the samples. The results indicate that the tensile strength and hardness were decreased after soil burial testing due to the possible biological attack by microbes onto the samples.
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