[en] Rice husk is a by-product of rice milling process, and a great resource as a raw biomass material for manufacturing value-added composite products. One of the potential applications is to use rice husk as filler for manufacturing lignocellulosic fiber-thermoplastic composites. This study was conducted to examine the silica distribution in rice husk in preparation to use it as reinforcing filler for thermoplastic polymers. Microscopic techniques, such as light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and field-emission SEM (FE-SEM) were used to observe the surface and internal structure of rice husk. Microscopic examination showed that two main components of husk, lemma and palea consisted of outer epidermis, layers of fibers, vascular bundles, parenchyma cells, and inner epidermis, in sequence from the outer to the inner surface. Histochemical staining showed that epidermal and fiber cell walls were lignified, and the walls of parenchyma and lower epidermal cells were not lignified. The outer epidermal walls were extremely thick, highly convoluted and lignified. The outer surface of both lemma and palea were conspicuously ridged. The energy dispersive X-ray micro-analysis attached to the FE-SEM provided information on the distribution of silica in the husk. Most of the silica was present in the outer epidermal cells, being particularly concentrated in the dome-shaped protrusions. These observations provided valuable background information on the organization of husk tissues and the distribution of silica, which will help optimize processes related to the use of rice husk for making lignocellulosic fiber-thermoplastic composites in our future work

[en] Rice husks were subjected to dry-grinding and steam-explosion to reduce their sizes. Subsequently, the surface of rice husk particles was modified using two different coupling agents, maleated polypropylene (MAPP) and γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (γ-APS, A-1100) to induce chemical reactions between the husk surface and the coupling agents used. The modified surface properties of rice husk were examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and FT-IR spectroscopy. Dry grinding, a simple method of fracturing husk, provided particulate segments, while steam explosion separated husk into fibrous components. When treated with MAPP, the O/C ratio of the husk surface decreased for both dry ground and steam-exploded husk. The γ-APS treatment resulted in an increase in the Si/O ratio for dry ground husk surface while this ratio decreased for steam-exploded husk particles. These results indicated that both coupling agents might be linked to the husk surface through chemical reactions. FT-IR results also supported the occurrence of ester and ether bonds after treatment of husks with MAPP and γ-APS. The present work suggested that the method of preparing rice husk particles had a great impact on their surface properties, and would therefore affect the interfacial adhesion in rice husk-thermoplastic composites