Converting waste lignin into nano-biochar as a renewable substitute of carbon black for reinforcing styrene-butadiene rubber.

Industrial waste lignin was commonly burnt or discharged into river in the past. However, in this study, lignin has been converted into high value-added nano-biochar as a renewable reinforcing filler of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) by a simple high-temperature carbonization treatment. Herein, the physicochemical change in lignin before and after carbonization was investigated. It was found that lignin-derived biochar (LB) consisted of vesicle-like primary nanoparticles which were closely packed to form "high-structure" irregular fragments with a high specific surface area (83.41 m2/g). When incorporating LB into SBR, the tensile properties of LB/SBR composites were significantly improved. At the filler loading of 40 phr, the tensile strength and elongation at break of the rubber composite were improved up to 7.1-folds and 2.4-folds of pristine SBR, respectively. Compared to commercial carbon black (CB) N330, the LB showed a similar reinforcing effect on SBR. However, the analysis on the morphology, stress-strain behavior and dynamic mechanical behavior suggested distinct reinforcing mechanisms for LB- and CB-filled rubber composites, due to the difference in the surface properties and structural characteristic of fillers. This work showed the application potential of LB as a renewable substitute of CB in rubber industry and brought environmental and economic benefits for the disposal of lignin.

Jiang C ，Bo J ，Xiao X ，Zhang S ，Wang Z ，Yan G ，Wu Y ，Wong C ，He H ... -  《-》

Preparation and characterization of lignin/nano graphene oxide/styrene butadiene rubber composite for automobile tyre application.

Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), is a synthetic polymer and the most abundantly used in the tire industry, which have good collaborative properties with additives and fillers. In present work, we aim to synthesize SBR composite having the properties of graphene oxide filler and made it to be biodegradable. In composite preparation, we fabricated styrene-butadiene rubber/graphene oxide/lignin composites by adding biodegradable biomolecule of lignin fillers at varying 1-3 wt% quantities amount. Those prepared SBR composites were characterized using advanced analysis techniques, and also their biodegradability was. From microscopy examination results, the morphology of pure SBR composite had been improved after the addition of graphene oxide, while the 1 wt% lignin filled SBR sample revealed well-integrated morphology with crest-and-trough-like feature, showcasing the lignin fibrils could strengthen the molecular interaction between graphene oxide nano sheet and SBR rubber. For 2 wt% lignin filled SBR sample, it exhibited large protuberants due to the aggregation effect of lignin fibrils. However, bulky and bundle structure of protuberant was more significantly formed in 3 wt% lignin filled SBR, as a result of poor interface between lignin and SBR rubber. The porosity had also been improved for 1 wt% lignin filled SBR sample, imparting it with great surface area to act as tire in automobile application. The physico-chemical analysis also detected the trace of graphene oxide and lignin functional groups in the SBR composite. In addition, the thermal analysis revealed those lignin-filled composites had stable heat tolerance behavior, which suitably used in extreme weather condition. Moreover, the 1 wt% lignin filled SBR sample exhibited good characteristics in both mechanical and biodegradable properties. Thus, the composite of 1 wt% lignin filled SBR could be regarded as a promising candidate for green tire application in the future.

Khan A ，Kian LK ，Jawaid M ，Khan AAP ，Marwani HM ，Alotaibi MM ，Asiri AM ... -  《-》

Performance of Full-Component Coal Gasification Fine Slag: High-Value Utilization as Reinforcing Material in Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (ESBR) for Replacing Carbon Black.

Feng X ，Wang Y ，Li F ，Hao Z ，Zhang Y ，Zhang Y ... -  《Polymers》

Turning lignin into treasure: An innovative filler comparable to commercial carbon black for the green development of the rubber industry.

Driven by the global carbon neutrality action, biomass-derived functional materials have been applied in many fields to alleviate the pressure brought by the depletion of fossil energy. However, due to the complex structure, lignin faces many difficulties in its high-value utilization. The second largest biomass in the world has become the largest "natural waste". In this paper, the lignin-based biochar-silica (LB-S) hybrid nanoparticles were prepared via a combination of two-step acid precipitation and carbonization using lignin black liquor extracted from xylose residue and sodium silicate as raw materials. The effects of carbonization temperature and lignin-based biochar (LB) content on the reinforcing properties of LB-S were studied. The results show that the particle size, specific surface area, pore characteristics, and surface polarity of LB-S all affect the mechanical properties of the final vulcanizates. The reinforcement performance of the best sample (LMB500-S) with "high structure" characteristics can be comparable to that of commercial carbon black (CB) N550. This study shows that LMB500-S hybrid nanoparticles with economic benefits possess the potential to completely replace commercial CB, which can turn lignin waste into treasure and promote the green development of traditional rubber industry in the context of carbon neutrality.

He Z ，Li Y ，Liu C ，Yang J ，Qian M ，Zhu Y ，Wang X ... -  《-》

Self-assembled lignin-silica hybrid material derived from rice husks as the sustainable reinforcing fillers for natural rubber.

Biomass derived fillers have been developed as sustainable substitution of carbon black (CB) used in rubber industry to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. Lignin is the abundant component of biomass, but has poor reinforcing performance due to its huge particle size. In this work, we prepared a lignin/silica (LS) hybrid material from rice husks via a facile self-assembly method. The formation of LS cut lignin macromolecules into fragments and resulted in a small average particle size of 320 nm. When LS was filled into the natural rubber to substitute 10 phr CB, both filler-filler interaction and filler-rubber interaction were enhanced compared with the single use of CB. In consequence, the obtained 10LS/40CB/NR vulcanizates showed overall improvement in tensile strength, tear strength and abrasion resistance compared with the 50CB/NR vulcanizates. For the sustainable development of rubber industry, the natural LS hybrid material with low production cost is a promising reinforcing filler for the partial replacement of CB.

Xue B ，Wang X ，Yu L ，Di B ，Chen Z ，Zhu Y ，Liu X ... -  《-》