Physical properties of natural rubber latex foams produced with processed mica waste powder and creamed natural rubber latex

Incorporation of finely powdered mica waste into natural rubber latex processed into foam rubber, consuming a minimum amount of energy could contribute to progress towards a greener environment. In this study, mica waste generated in the mining industry was finely powdered and incorporated into creamed natural rubber latex which is an alternative form of concentrated latex manufactured using a green process known as the creaming process. Finely powdered processed mica waste (PMW) was added as a filler into latex varying the loading from 0 to 10 pphr at 2 pphr intervals. The latex foam was then converted into a vulcanized natural rubber latex foam (NRLF). Effects of mica loading on certain properties of the foam rubber produced from creamed natural rubber latex were studied. It was found that the density and hardness of the mica powder incorporated foam rubber increased with increasing filler loading. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies confirmed that no structural changes occurred in natural rubber due to the addition of PMW. The overall results of the study showed the potential of utilization of mica waste and creamed natural rubber latex to manufacture greener natural rubber foam composites in cottage-level foam manufacturing industries.