Facile method for preparation of micronized fly ash by microbial corrosion and ball‐milling

Abstract

A novel technique was proposed to prepare micronized fly ash (FA), broadening the application of fly ash in rubber compounds. This facile method of FA micronization is carried out by microbial corrosion to produce a loose structure which is easily destroyed by the following ball milling step. Only 20 min of the ball milling treatment after microbial corrosion is needed to obtain FA particles with an average size of 194 nm, representing a remarkable reduction compared to several days that are typically required to achieve such a small size through the ball milling treatment. Due to the favourable FA particle sizes and interface compatibility, the natural rubber compounds achieved a good reinforcement effect at 20.7 MPa. The improved mechanical properties of the simple FA micronization method explored in this work are highly favourable for expanding the use of FA as reinforcement fillers to partially replace the carbon black fillers that are currently widely used in the rubber industry.