Assessment of the Thermal Properties of a Rice Husk Mixture with Recovered Polypropylene and High Density Polyethylene, Using Sulfur-silane as a Coupling Agent

Abstract

Several studies conducted around the world have analyzed the possibility of using agro-industrial waste, such as rice husk, which can be combined with polymeric matrices made from pure or recovered polymers, in order to create a new material that can replace or be a substitute for polymeric materials widely used in the market. It is for this reason that this research study seeks to further explore these types of materials, creating a mixture from recovered rice husk (RH), polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), using sulfur-silane as a coupling agent, which improves the materials' interfacial adhesion. Mechanical recycling techniques were used to create the mixture, followed by a subsequent evaluation of it thermal properties with flammability tests and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) performed.