Comparative Study of Acetylated Sawdust Powder as Filler in Natural Rubber Compounding

Abstract

A comparative study of the filler’s reinforcing potentials of acetylated
sawdust, non- acetylated sawdust and those filled with the conventional
N330 carbon black was investigated. The sawdust was sourced and
characterized in terms of moisture content, bulk density, pH, ash content
and iodine adsorption number, using prescribed methods. Natural
rubber samples were compounded with 50% acetylated sawdust powder,
non- acetylated sawdust powder and with that of the N330 carbon black
at filler loading levels of 10phr, 20phr, 30phr, 40phr and 50phr
respectively. Standard formulation with efficient vulcanization system
was used. The physico mechanical properties of the acetylated sawdust
powder filled vulcanizates were compared with those filled with
untreated Sawdust and N330 carbon black. The result obtained show that
the acetylated sawdust filled vulcanizates present better tensile strength
than the untreated sawdust. N330 carbon black had the highest value for
tensile test which shows from the result obtained that N330 carbon black
is more effective as reinforcing filler than the acetylated sawdust filled
and non- acetylated sawdust filled vulcanizates