Conductive cellulosic pulp composites reinforced with copper-silica hybrid

The rice straw pulp black liquor (RSBL) is high-alkalinity wastewater rich in silica, which renders its known use as a fuel in pulping mills difficult. We explored the economic utilization of RSBL via alkaline precipitation, affording metal lignin/silica hybrids. Our current study focuses on exploring the electrical characteristics of newly developed composites by integrating different ratios of a prepared conductive copper/lignin/silica (Cu-LSF) hybrid into rice straw cellulosic pulp, produced through solar pulping. We also compare the properties of these rice straw-based composites with those prepared using conventionally pulped bagasse. All the prepared samples were characterized using a combination of techniques, including X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Their permittivity and dielectric loss were also measured. Rice straw-based composites containing higher dielectric silica contents exhibited superior permittivity and dielectric loss performance compared to bagasse-based composites.