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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Plant Polymer Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #244821
Title: Charcoal byproducts as potential styrene-butadiene rubber composte filler

Author
item Peterson, Steven - Steve
item Boateng, Akwasi
item Jong, Lei

Submitted to: Green Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/9/2009
Publication Date: 9/9/2009
Citation: Peterson, S.C., Boateng, A.A., Jong, L. 2009. Charcoal byproducts as potential styrene-butadiene rubber composte filler. Green Chemistry. xx.

Interpretive Summary: Reinforcement fillers are materials that can be added to rubber to make it stronger. The predominant filler used in industry is carbon black, a byproduct of the petroleum industry. Relatively new processes for both the production of bio-oil and the production of soil-enriching charcoal create affordable charcoal byproducts that are renewable and potential candidates for rubber filler material. In this study, three different renewable charcoals were examined and compared to carbon black to see if they could serve as adequate alternative rubberfillers. With little pre-processsing, the best performing charcoal-based composite was only about 25% below the carbon black control composite in terms of reinforcement, even though it contained only about half the carbon content.

Technical Abstract: Carbon black, a byproduct of the petroleum industry, is the world's most predominant filler for rubber composites. In this study, various renewable charcoals in the form of pyrolyzed agricultural byproducts were evaluted as potential carbon-based filler for rubber composites made with carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex. The sources of carbon studied are not dependent on the petroleum industry. Charcoal samples were ball milled, resulting in particle sizes of roughly 1 micron (based on number distribution; approximately 3-8 microns based on volume distribution). Rubber composites were created using a method consisting of freeze-drying followed by compression molding to form sample bars that were tested rheologically. Although renewable charcoal filled composites only contained approximately half the carbon content as the carbon black control, they showed reinforcement factors up to 40 times greater than the unfilled latex.