Influence of Alkaline Treated Sugarcane Bagasse Loading on Mechanical Properties of Natural Rubber Latex Films

Abstract

Abstract Agricultural waste is a natural source of biomaterials that can be used as filler to create a variety of high-value industrial products. Agricultural waste gains more interest due to it is economical, cheap, readily available, and environmentally friendly. However, agricultural waste requires modification in order to improve its compatibility with Natural Rubber (NR) latex due to its incompatibility. This paper aims to determine the effect of the addition of the alkaline-treated sugarcane bagasse (ATSB) in NR latex film on its mechanical properties. Sugarcane bagasse was treated with 2% sodium hypochlorite to chemically modify the fiber and was used as filler in NR latex films. The tensile and tear properties of the ATSB filled with NR latex were observed at different filler loadings (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 phr). The tensile strength, elongation at break, and tensile modulus decreased significantly with the increase of ATSB filler loading. Meanwhile, tear strength increases with the addition of ATSB fillers. The optimum loading of ATSB fillers was observed at 5 phr. The alkaline treatment removes the lignin bound to the sugarcane bagasse, enhancing the interaction between ATSB and NR latex, which results in a higher tensile strength compared to the sugarcane bagasse powder films. Thus, ATSB fillers can be added into NR latex as a potential biodegradable filler.