Ground Rice-Hull Ash as a Filler for Rubber

Abstract

Abstract A ground rice hull ash prepared by a new burning process has been found to be a moderately reinforcing filler for rubber. This filler, 85-90% amorphous silica and 10-15% carbon, is made by a controlled incineration process in which the bulk of the organic components of the rice hulls is removed, leaving the skeletal silica structure of the hull intact and in the amorphous state. The resultant ash is easily ground to produce fine particles, generally in the range of 0.1-2.0 μm. This filler does not adversely affect either the vulcanization characteristics or the aging of SBR, natural rubber, nitrile rubber, butyl rubber, neoprene, EPDM, and propylene oxide rubber compounds. As it is predominantly silica, it responds effectively to silane coupling agents in improving properties of the rubber compounds. It is concluded that RHA filler is a satisfactory substitute for MT black and that, in blends with blacks, it can be effectively used as a partial replacement for finer and more reinforcing blacks.