Utilization of Eco-Friendly Rice Husk Ash Waste as Reinforcement in LDPE Thermoplastics

Abstract

The topic of environmental contamination is currently regarded as one of the most urgent and significant challenges in contemporary society. Several strategies must be implemented to mitigate the environmental impact caused by waste materials, such as to rice husks ash, plastic, and other materials. Low-density polyethylene is widely recognized in academic circles for its distinctive property of having a low melting point and demonstrating inferior thermal stability. However, the utilization of RHA has promise for augmenting the thermal LDPE. The inclusion of silica inside rice husk ash functions as a flame retardant, hence augmenting the material’s capacity to resist combustion and thermal degradation. The objective of this study is to utilization of eco-friendly RHA waste as re-inforcement in LDPE thermoplastics. RHA is produced by the coprecipitation process. Rheomixer is used to make thermoplastic composites by incorporate RHA into LDPE 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 wt.%. The micrograph of the failure surface of the composite material consisting of LDPE filled with reactive hot-melt adhesive RHA particles reveals significant variations in particle sizes. In adittion XRD graph showed a decrease in intensity when 6% wt and 8% wt RHA were added. The results of thermal analysis with DSC showed an increase in the melting point of the sample with RHA reinforcement from 108.96–109.21 o C and 482.47–500.09 o C. The incorporation of RHA as a reinforcement in LDPE holds promise for its utilization as a material possessing favorable thermal characteristics suitable for industrial applications such as pipes and protective coatings, which required enhanced thermal resistance. The utilization of rice husk ash (RHA) waste imposes both environmental and economic impacts. RHA has the potential to reduce environmental pollution caused by waste and decrease the costs involved in material production.