This research examines the possibility of palm oil and oil palm trunk biochar (OPTB) from pyrolysis effectively serving as alternative processing oils and fillers, substituting petroleum-based counterparts in natural rubber (NR) composites. Chemical, elemental, surface and morphological analyses were used to characterize both carbon black (CB) and OPTB, by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) gas porosimetry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The influences of OPTB contents from 0 to 100 parts per hundred rubber (phr) on thermal, dielectric, dynamic mechanical, and cure characteristics, and the key mechanical properties of particulate NR-composites were investigated. OPTB enhanced the characteristics of the composites, as demonstrated by a rise in dielectric constant, thermal stability, storage modulus, glass transition temperature (Tg), hardness and modulus at 300% elongation, along with a decrease in the loss tangent (tan δ). Tear strength exhibited an increase with OPTB content up to a specific threshold, whereas tensile strength and elongation at break declined. This implies a compromise between the various mechanical properties when incorporating OPTB as a filler. This work supports the potential application of OPTB as a renewable substitute for CB in the rubber industry, particularly in tire production and other industrial rubber applications, which would also bring environmental, sustainability, and economic benefits for the palm oil-related industry.
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