Evaluation of rice straw as natural filler for injection molded high density polyethylene bio-composite materials

Abstract

Rice straw that left behind during the paddy harvesting process holds immense potential to be used as a renewable resource in the development of eco-friendly polymeric products. Utilisation of rice straw as natural filler in the development of high density polyethylene bio-composite materials by using the injection moulding technique was reported in the present study. The investigation of filler size revealed that the bio-composites with the acceptable tensile strength was achieved when the rice straw with 250 300 μm of particle size was used in the composite formulation. By increasing the rice straw content, a decreasing trend was observed in the tensile and flexural strength of the fabricated bio-composites. The tensile and flexural moduli of the biocomposites were enhanced with the increasing of rice straw. The water absorption of the rice straw-based high density polyethylene bio-composites was also significantly increased with the elevation of rice straw content in the composite formulations. The present study provides insights into the underlying behaviours of the rice straw in fabricated high density polyethylene bio-composites, which, in turn, could serve as a reliable guideline for the development of the rice straw for a wide range of eco-friendly products.