REINFORCEMENT OF NATURAL RUBBER WITH COAL FLY ASH AND SYNTHETIC ZEOLITE

Abstract

Natural rubber (NR) is a biopolymer consisting primarily of isoprene units produced by plants. Due to its high elasticity property, NR has been widely used for manufacturing of many industrial products. Generally, the addition of fillers in NR is required for improving its properties. This work focuses on the preparation of NR composite films by using coal fly ash and synthetic zeolite from coal fly ash as filler. The objective is to exploit coal fly ash, industrial waste as a raw material for value-added products. It can also help reduce the area for disposal of coal fly ash by landfill. Moreover, this is not only to add value of coal fly ash but also the mechanical properties of the NR composite films were improved. The NR composite films were prepared via a latex aqueous micro-dispersion process. The morphology of NR composite films combing with CFA, CFAT, SA and ZA at different loading contents were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The chemical structure of NR composite films were investigated Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. The mechanical properties, crystallinity, water absorption capacity and toluene uptake of NR composite films were analyzed. The results demonstrated that at a suitable loading range, the mechanical properties (Young’s modulus, tensile strength, elongation at break) of the composite films were better than those of NR films. The composite films, especially NR-CFA also demonstrated considerably more resistance and structural stability in both water and toluene. As compared to the NR film, the WAC (water absorption capacity) and TU (toluene uptake) of the composite films were decreased. However, according to hydrophilic property of the fillers, the WAC values of the composite films were slightly increased with the increase of filler loading from 2-20 phr.