Valorizing the applicability of waste rubber tiles loaded with bagasse fibers in different epoxy resin systems

Abstract The efficient and economic exploitation of rubber tiles reinforced with epoxy resin with high adhesion properties is not just a theoretical concept, but a practical solution to the issue of waste rubber. The influence of different weight percentages for waste bagasse (0, 5, 10 and 15 wt%) on the mechanical performance of rubbery epoxy tile is investigated. Three commercial epoxy resins, Kemapoxy 131, Kemapoxy 175, and Kemapoxy, were blended with the aforementioned weight% of bagasse fibers (BF) parallel to waste tire powder (WTP) as a binding material at fixed 15% epoxy content at different agro-waste ratios. 12 formulas were mixed, pressed and molded. Hardness, swelling rate, abrasion resistance, and compression tests, along with the prepared tiles’ morphology, were measured at 10 wt% bagasse. Kemapoxy cast epoxy resin was used to provide a promising result for the abrasion test, which was 15 mg. However, at 15 wt% bagasse using Kemapoxy 175 polyurethane epoxy solvent free, it showed 20 mg at the same revolution test. The hardness of the tiles reached up to 87 Shore A. The swelling ratio decreased significantly with increasing bagasse content, achieving a minimum of 18% compared to 28% in the unfilled samples. Kemapoxy cast epoxy resin (R3) exhibited the most promising abrasion resistance, with a weight loss of only 15 mg/1000 cycles. Conversely, Kemapoxy 175 at 15 wt% BF showed slightly higher weight loss of 20 mg/1000 cycles. The prepared rubber tiles using Kemapoxy 175 displayed the highest compression strength, reaching 50 kN at 0% BF and 47 kN at 15 wt% BF, surpassing the values achieved with the other resins. These results confirm that the incorporation of BF significantly improves hardness and compression strength, while maintaining acceptable swelling and abrasion resistance. The given data can facilitate the industrial design of rubber tiles with desirable properties upon employing such resins, making the research highly relevant in the field of materials science and environmental engineering.