Utilization of oil palm empty fruit bunch cellulose fillers for biodegradable properties of carboxylated nitrile butadiene rubber latex films

Abstract

The increase in latex gloves production in Malaysia has caused a landfill build-up due to its low biodegradable properties upon disposal. Meanwhile, oil palm biomass waste also shows a similar trend due to the global demand for palm oil. Therefore, the utilization of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) cellulose fiber-filled carboxylated nitrile butadiene rubber (XNBR) latex is investigated. The OPEFB cellulose fillers are subjected to alkali and bleaching treatment to remove the wax, lignin, and hemicellulose. The treatment effectively removed most of the non-cellulosic components in OPEFB fibers. The XNBR latex was then compounded with different loading of OPEFB cellulose fillers (2phr, 4phr, 6phr, 8phr). The results obtained show as the OPEFB cellulose filler loading increases, the mechanical properties of latex films decrease due to the agglomeration of fillers that act as stress concentrations. After four weeks of soil burial, the biodegradable properties of XNBR latex films are enhanced with increasing filler loading as OPEFB fillers act as a source of nutrients for the biodegradation process by microorganisms. The balance in the mechanical and biodegradable properties is achieved at 4phr of OPEFB cellulose filler loading.