Abstract:
This research Investigates the potential of rice husk ash (RHA) as a sustainable
alternative to traditional carbon black fillers in the tire industry, aiming to reduce
reliance on non-renewable resources. Although interest in agricultural-waste products
is gaining ground, very little has been reported on their influence on the mechanical
properties of rubber compounds. More so, when products are processed using
techniques like ball milling, their effect remains almost unreported. In this regard, the
present study has been attempted to explore the possibility of using RHA in natural
rubber compounds with regard to tensile strength, tear resistance, and elongation. Rice
husks were obtained, cleaned, dried, and the controlled burning in a fuinace at 650oC
was done in order to obtain RHA. RHAwas then further processed by both sieving and
ball milling. In this regard, rubber compounds were prepared in a two-roll mill by
incorporating ball-milled and non-ball-milled RHA into the natural rubber matrix, and
their mechanical properties were analyzed. The results show that RHA-enhanced
rubber compounds have improved mechanical properties, and among these, ball milled
composites generally outperform their non-ball-milled counterpafts. However, ball
milling has also introduced microstructural defects that somewhat reduced the tensile
strength. Although RHA does give some promise for use as a friendly Eco filler in tire
production, it turned out that the technique used in its processing had a significant effect
on its performance. It, therefore, requires further optimizatron to be able to offer a
viable alternative as a filler.
