Effect of various additives on mechanical properties of rice husk polypropylene (RHPP) composites

Abundantly available rice husk can be used with polypropylene for the development of thermoplastic composites. The present study deals with mechanical properties such as hardness and impact strength of rice husk polypropylene composites with the addition of talc, mica, CaCO3, wollastonite, and zirconium oxide. Maleic anhydride polypropylene was used as compatibilizer. Improvement in the hardness and impact strength of the composites was observed by the use of these additives. Possible applications of rice husk polypropylene composite are in building and automobile sectors.