Abstract
Composites using agricultural and forestry residues as raw materials with potentially high-performance, multifunctional and biodegradable ecological advantages, are viewed as very promising for new-generation lightweight and low-cost bio-based sustainable building materials. At present, the research on wood-plastic composite materials is relatively mature. However, it is still a challenge to effectively use other biomass and improve the interface of the high-polymer compound system. Herein, we proposed a simple and effective method to enhance the interfacial adhesion properties of rice husk fibre and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) composites by the silane coupling agent KH-550 and compatibilizer Maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE) with complementary modification. It was found that the coupling agent KH-550 cross-linked with the hydroxyl group on the husk fibre surface and solidified with the high polymer by –NH–, –C=O– functional group generation. Compatibilizer MAPE strengthened the two phases by covalently bonding with an ester linkage and lowered the roughness of the cross-section of the composites. Meanwhile the modification enhanced the dispersibility, and mechanical properties of the husk-high polymer compound system, the bending and flexural strength were improved by 11.5% and 28.9% with KH-550, and MAPE added, respectively. The flexural strength of the composites increased by 40.7% after complementary modification. Furthermore, the complementary modification treatment reduced the hydrophilic hydroxyl groups and increased the molecular chain to improve the water-resistance, elastic modulus and toughness of the composite. This study prepared a bio-composite, which is expected to expand the use of agricultural and forestry residues as an extension of wood-plastic composites.
Highlights
IntroductionComposites using agricultural and forestry residues as raw materials with potentially high-performance, multifunctional and biodegradable ecological advantages, are viewed as very promising for new-generation lightweight and low-cost bio-based sustainable building materials
Composites using agricultural and forestry residues as raw materials with potentially high-performance, multifunctional and biodegradable ecological advantages, are viewed as very promising for new-generation lightweight and low-cost bio-based sustainable building materials.Rice is the main human crop, with a large area and giving rice husk as a by-product of rice production [1], the annual output of it is large but most of it is burned by producers
This demonstrated that the interfacial modifier enhanced the bonding of the rice husk fibre to the polymer and improved the mechanical properties of the composite
Summary
Composites using agricultural and forestry residues as raw materials with potentially high-performance, multifunctional and biodegradable ecological advantages, are viewed as very promising for new-generation lightweight and low-cost bio-based sustainable building materials. A large amount of researches have been conducted on the modification of natural fibres and their subsequent characterization in composites, which are mainly carried out by pre-treatment of plant fiber raw materials [16,17], adding interfacial modification aids during the preparation to acetylation [18], silanes treatment [19] and Malay treatment [20] to enhance the fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion strength [21,22]. Pre-treatment of plant fibres can remove free water and some bound water in the rice husk fibres and evaporate to reduce the hydroxyl content of the fibre surface [23] It can effectively dissolve and remove low molecular substances in plant fibres [24], and reduce the hemicellulose and lignin content, resulting in an increased surface roughness of rice husk, which increases hydroxyl activity inside the fibre [25], and enhances the mechanical bond strength between polymer matrix and fibre [9,26]. It helps to promote resource conservation and recycling, which has an excellent ecological benefit
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