Soil burial, tensile properties, morphology, and biodegradability of (rice husk powder)‐filled natural rubber latex foam

The focus of this research work was to study the possibilities of enhancing the biodegradation process of natural rubber latex foam (NRLF) by incorporating rice husk powder (RHP). Different loadings of RHP (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10 phr) were used in this study. Controlled and RHP‐incorporated NRLF samples were subjected to natural soil environment for 90 days. Properties of unexposed and those exposed to soil burial condition samples were compared and studied. Tensile properties, such as tensile strength and elongation at break, dropped significantly with increasing RHP loading on natural soil exposure for 90 days. Exposed RHP‐incorporated NRLF weight loss also showed increased biodegradability with increasing RHP loading. The changes in morphological properties were evident by tabletop microscopy (TM1000). J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 21:128–133, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers