Rice husk reinforced thermoplastic composites
2009
Abdul Razak Rahmat
Rice husk is one of the common natural cellulose fibres, which may be easily achieved as an agricultural waste material in rice-producing countries. The major constituents of rice husk are cellulose, lignin and ash varying with the variety, climate and geography location of growth. They are the natural sheaths that form on rice grains during growth. Removed during the refining of rice, these husks have no commercial interest. An application of rice husk is limited. These include as fuel in heat generation for drying rice, used in making cement and used as a fertilizer in agriculture. The rest is burnt or used as land filling. Rice husk incorporated into polymer resin to produce composite product is now begun to develop. Many researchers have carried out study on rice husk ash and rice husk reinforced thermoplastic composite. Most of these study focused on the characterization and mechanical properties of the composite. In general, they revealed that the tensile modulus increased with the rice husk content while tensile strength, elongation at break and (zod impact strength showed a decrease. The incompatibility of the fibres with the hydrophobic polymer matrix, the tendency to form aggregates during processing and poor resistance to moisture, influence the performance of the composite. However, these are the challenges to the researchers. Applications of rice husk reinforced polymer composite have been developed and some of the products are in the market. The applications are in building, furniture and packaging industries. Its typical application in the building industry includes decking, porches, verandahs, railings, furniture, architraves and fencing.
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