Characteristics of coupling agent blended marble/agro waste derived silica rubber composites

The effect of reinforcing natural rubber (nr) with industrial and agricultural waste,marble waste (mw)/rice husk derived silica (rhs),hybrid filler on the cure characteristics,mechanical and swelling properties of the hybrid composite was investigated. hybrid fillers were treated with silane (si-69) as a coupling agent to enhance their dispersion property in nr matrix. this study has shown the intrinsic potential of mw/rhs as reinforcing filler revealed by the considerable improvement in mechanical properties of the nr hybrid composites. the results indicated that scorch time,cure time and elongation at break decreased but torque,tensile strength,modulus,tear strength and hardness increased. the homogenous dispersion of mw/rhs obtained with silane (si-69) coupling agent is accountable for the substantial enhancement in the tensile strength,tear strength,modulus and hardness of nr hybrid composite. this study suggests that the use of industrial and agricultural waste in nr hybrid composite is a cost effective and smart substitute of industrial interest. additional inducement was the social responsibility of tackling with environmental issues of both industrial and agricultural waste.