Rice husk biowaste derived microcrystalline cellulose reinforced sustainable green composites: A comprehensive characterization for lightweight applications

Laongdaw Techawinyutham; Raja Soma Sundaram; Indran Suyambulingam; Supichaya Mo-On; Rapeeporn Srisuk; Divya Divakaran; Sanjay Mavinkere Rangappa; Suchart Siengchin

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.140153

Rice husk biowaste derived microcrystalline cellulose reinforced sustainable green composites: A comprehensive characterization for lightweight applications

Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jan 21:140153. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.140153. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Laongdaw Techawinyutham¹, Raja Soma Sundaram², Indran Suyambulingam³, Supichaya Mo-On⁴, Rapeeporn Srisuk⁵, Divya Divakaran⁶, Sanjay Mavinkere Rangappa⁵, Suchart Siengchin⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Production and Robotics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Bangkok 10800, Thailand; Natural Composites Research Group Lab, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, The Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering (TGGS), King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Bangkok 10800, Thailand. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education, Kumaracoil, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu 629180, India.
³ Sophisticated Testing and Instrumentation Centre (STIC), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Alliance School of Applied Engineering, Alliance University, Bengaluru 562106, Karnataka, India. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Department of Production and Robotics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Bangkok 10800, Thailand.
⁵ Natural Composites Research Group Lab, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, The Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering (TGGS), King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Bangkok 10800, Thailand.
⁶ Department of Biotechnology, Saveetha School of Engineering, SIMATS, Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu, India.

PMID: 39848380
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.140153

Abstract

This study addresses the issue of waste generation within the food industry, focusing on the conversion of rice husk waste into value-added products. The investigation involves a comprehensive characterization of microcrystalline cellulose extracted from the rice husk and reinforcing them in bio-epoxy resin to determine its feasibility in producing ecofriendly products. The dried rice husk waste was made to undergo a series of treatments, including alkali, acid hydrolysis, and bleaching for extracting high purity microcrystalline cellulose. Physio-chemical, morphological, thermal, and spectroscopy analyses were performed on rice husk microcrystalline cellulose (RHMCC), revealing a high cellulose content (94.39 %), favourable crystallinity (77.8 %), low density (1.571 g/cm³), and substantial thermal stability (299.14 °C). Additionally, the surface roughness of rice husk microcrystalline cellulose supports its suitability as a bio-filler material in the production of environmentally friendly composites. The rice husk microcrystalline cellulose was added to bio-epoxy polymer at different weight percentages (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 %), and mechanical and spectroscopy characteristics were evaluated using ASTM standards. Fractographical morphology was also examined in the fractured sample to disclose cellulose bonding behaviour, void forms, filler agglomeration, and fracture behaviour. This research contributes in reducing waste in food industry and promoting sustainable ecofriendly products to the society.

Keywords: Bio-epoxy; Microcrystalline cellulose; Rice husk.