The effect of different mineral fillers on starch/rice husk composite properties

The objective of this research was to study the feasibility of producing biodegradable thermoplastic starch rice-husk composites. The effect of different types of mineral fillers on the various properties of thermoplastic starch composites filled with rice-husk flour, an agricultural waste residue, was studied. The mineral fillers aluminum trihydrate (ATH), magnesium dihydroxide (MDH), nanoparticulate MDH, and nanoclay were studied. It was found that the addition of the mineral fillers and especially nanofillers improved the dimensional stability and the mechanical properties of the composites, while decreasing their biodegradability. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that substituting mineral fillers for some part of the lignocellulosic component increased the extents of weight-loss in the first and second steps, but decreased the weight-loss in the last step. This substitution also led to a slight decrease in the thermal decomposition temperatures at the curve peaks.