High performance waste-derived filler/carbon black reinforced guayule natural rubber composites

Abstract

Guayule rubber (GNR) is an alternative source of natural rubber that does not crossreact with Type I latex allergy because it does not contain any proteins which can be recognized by antibodies raised against Hevea brasiliensis allergens. To advance the commercialization of this elastomer and diversify sources of natural rubber, efficient reinforcement of GNR is required to match the physical properties of vulcanized materials made from Hevea natural rubber in specific products. Superior or comparable reinforcement to that of carbon black N330, was achieved by partial replacement of carbon black with 5 and 10 phr of waste-derived material. Out of several waste-derived fillers tested, micro sized eggshells showed remarkable reinforcing potential for GNR. Hybrid carbon black/micro sized eggshells/GNR composites (up to 20 phr micro sized eggshells), had increased tensile strength, and elongation at break, while maintaining similar values of 300% modulus and hardness to those achieved by carbon black/GNR composites. Hierarchical cluster analysis partitioned the data into six groups of composites having statistically similar properties within each group. Composites containing 5-20 phr of micro sized eggshells were clustered in a separate group due to their unique combination of high tensile strength and flexibility. The superior reinforcement may reflect a combined synergistic reinforcing effect of carbon black particles, which possess a strong polymer-filler interaction, with the formation of a unique network between the GNR and the waste-derived materials, not attained with Hevea brasiliensis natural rubber.

Investigating the Impact of Curing System on Structure-Property Relationship of Natural Rubber Modified with Brewery By-Product and Ground Tire Rubber

“…Applying this concept can prevent the problem of the increasing amount of waste rubber, which presents as an added difficulty the existence of a three-dimensional cross-linked structure that makes it more difficult for further processing and recycling [21].Taking into account the advantages of the use of waste fillers (cellulose/lignocellulose-based fillers and GTR), a new strategy to improve the performance properties of biocomposites was considered in this study. Instead of applying the fillers individually, the mixture of chosen fillers can be introduced into the system The application of hybrid fillers [22][23][24] may cause the occurrence of synergistic effects, providing superior results in terms of performance than the sum of the effects for the separate filler [25,26].However, not only modification, ratio, and type of rubber matrix and fillers have a significant influence on the performance properties of rubber biocomposites. In the fabrication of elastomers, vulcanization can be used to bond the fillers to the matrix, obtaining an improvement of the properties due to a good integration of the disperse particles into the whole material.…”

Agricultural proteins as multifunctional additives in ZnO‐free synthetic isoprene rubber vulcanizates

“…7 Of particular interest are those biofillers, which serve as multifunctional additives. Barrera and Cornish 12,13 studied the effect of waste-derived fillers as co-fillers for carbon black (CB) and found that eggshell particles increased the rate of cure, which resulted in higher crosslink density and improved mechanical properties. Procho n and Ntumba 9 added hydrolysates of cattle hair keratin and bird feather wastes to carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR) and the composite mechanical properties and oil resistance were improved, while surface abrasion was reduced.…”

“…A white rice husk ash filler was investigated as a reinforcing filler by Da Costa et al 10,11 and found to function in a catalytic capacity, accelerating the crosslinking reaction and lowering activation energy (E a ). Barrera and Cornish 12,13 studied the effect of waste-derived fillers as co-fillers for carbon black (CB) and found that eggshell particles increased the rate of cure, which resulted in higher crosslink density and improved mechanical properties. When commercial proteins were added to guayule rubber (GR), Lhamo and McMahan 14 found that the composite green strength, bulk viscosity, and thermo-oxidative stability were improved.…”

Cure characteristics, mechanical, thermal, and coloring properties of natural rubber/dye‐loaded shell powder composites

“…In the rubber industry, in order to improve mechanical properties of the materials and get cost reduction, fillers such as carbon black (CB) and calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) are usually employed owing to the excellent reinforcing characteristics and low cost, respectively . However, the possibility of obtaining various colors like red would be lost if the CB filler was introduced, and the excessive amount of CaCO 3 was not favorable to the mechanical performance of polymers .…”