A green approach for preparing high-loaded clay/polymer bio-composites

Global industry is showing great interest in the field of sustainability, thanks to the increased attention for ecological safety and utilization of renewable materials. For the scientific community the challenge lies in the identification of greener synthetic approaches and new alternatives to petroleum-based materials in order to reduce the environmental impact. In this context, we propose the preparation of novel bio-composites consisting of natural rubber latex (NRL) and sepiolite (Sep) fibers through the latex compounding technique (LCT), a more eco-friendly approach, compared to traditional melt mixing, where the filler is directly mixed with a stable aqueous elastomer colloid dispersion (latex).