Abstract
Natural rubber (NR) is a renewable agricultural resource which has gained fast technological innovation due to some inherent properties and its renewability. Compounding of natural rubber with modified and unmodified nano-sized agricultural waste is of interest because it is economical, environmentally friendly, cheap and readily available, hence, the trial of sugarcane bagasse as an additive in Natural Rubber compounding. The sugarcane bagasse was sourced locally, milled to fine powder and sieved to <100µm in size. Characterization of Natural rubber latex viz-a-viz: Dry rubber content (DRC), Total solid content (TSC), Ash content, Moisture content were carried out. The Sugarcane bagasse was modified via Hydroxylation using 10% Sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The modified sugarcane baggase (MSB) and unmodified sugarcane baggase (USB) were characterized viz-a-viz: their pH, moisture content, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and micro-pixe analysis. The extent of modification was determined via titration. The NR was thereafter compounded with USB, MSB, CB, admix of MSB with CB and admix of USB with CB to give five vulcanizates, labeled A – E ( A- 40 parts CB, B- 40 parts USB, C- 40 parts MSB, D- 20 CB : 20 USB while E was 20 CB : 20 MSB). The vulcanizates were then subjected to physico-mechanical tests viz-a-viz: Tensile strength, Modulus Elasticity, Hardness, Elongation @ break and Yield elongation. The result revealed that mix A (control) with 40 CB has the highest Tensile strength compared to the other mixes, which was followed by mixes E >D >C while B gave the least tensile strength, showing that carbon black acted better than modified sugarcane bagasse and better than unmodified sugarcane bagasse. Compatibility of the unmodified and hydroxylated sugarcane bagasse with natural rubber and carbon black was also established. The extent of the solubility of the mixes in ethanol, kerosene and petrol were investigated to determine the extent of crosslinking and mix A was very resistant to all the solvents followed by mixes C then E then D while mix B dissolves readily.
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