Use of Ashes from Lignite Combustion as Fillers in Rubber Mixtures to Reduce VOC Emissions

Abstract

This paper presents the use of ashes from brown coal combustion (BCA) as fillers in rubber mixtures, to reduce the emission of volatile organic compounds. Two types of ash, BCA1 and BCA2, were selected as fillers for styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR). The ashes were produced during the treatment of brown coal at the Bełchatów Power Plant in the years 2017 and 2018. The morphology and chemical composition of the ash were tested. Morphology studies using scanning microscopy showed differences in the grain sizes of the ashes, and EDS analysis showed a difference in their chemical compositions. Vulcanizates with different weight proportions of the individual ashes were produced. Mixtures were made with the addition of 10–30 pts. wt. ashes per 100 g of SBR. The addition of BCA1 ash at 10 and 30 pts. wt. reduced the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC) while maintaining the good strength properties of the mixtures.