Converting dead leaf biomass into activated carbon as a potential replacement for carbon black filler in rubber composites.

In this work, the feasibility of converting dead leaf biomass into green activated carbon for use as a reinforcement filler in natural rubber composites was assessed. The dead leaf activated carbon (DLAC) was prepared by pyrolysis at 550, 700, 900, and 1000 °C at a heating rate of 10 °C min−1 under nitrogen gas flow of 100 cm3 min−1 and was activated by CO 2 gas at the same flow rate when the pyrolysis temperature was reached. The properties of DLACs were characterized by particle size analysis, density, scanning electron microscopy, elemental energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The results revealed that the DLAC obtained by pyrolysis at 1000 °C had a small particle size of 28.86 μm; a highly porous structure; high carbon purity, at 82.58%; and a low density, at 1.588 g cm−3. The effect of different DLAC contents (5, 10, and 15 phr) on the curing properties and the physical and mechanical performance of the rubber composites was investigated and compared with rubber composites containing carbon black (CB). The results showed that the addition of DLAC increased the maximum torque and reduced the scorch and cure times. The tensile strength for rubber composites containing 15 phr of DLAC increased by 8%, the M100 and M300 improved 40%, and the elongation at break and crosslink density decreased by approximately 5% and 24%, respectively. The studied DLAC is a promising, cost-effective alternative to commercial carbon black for improving the performance of rubber composites. Image 1 • From dead leaf biomass to Dead leaf activated carbon (DLAC) by pyrolysis. • Potential use of DLAC as reinforcement filler in natural rubber. • DLAC filled rubber give similar mechanical properties to carbon black filled rubber. • DLAC is a promising cost effective to commercial carbon black in rubber composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]