We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
The Effect of the Recycling Process on the Performance of Thermoplastic Vulcanizates Containing Recycled Rubber from End-of-Life Tires
Summary
This study applied thermal, chemical, and mechanical recycling methods to ground tire rubber powder from end-of-life tires and evaluated the resulting thermoplastic vulcanizates, finding that optimized recycling processes can improve interfacial compatibility and mechanical properties enough to yield industrially competitive rubber products.
End-of-life tires (ELTs) are an important source of energy and materials, with ELT powder (ELTp) being a secondary raw material of increasing industrial interest. However, the complex structure and composition of ELTp rubber pose technological difficulties and scientific challenges in some high-performance applications in the rubber industry. The mechanical recycling of ELTp produces ground tire rubber (GTR) powder, which is used, among other applications in the rubber field, to prepare thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) due to the interest in these materials in the automotive and construction sectors. Over the last few decades, different approaches have been explored to minimize the limitations of these TPVs, including their large particle size and poor compatibility with GTR powder in other polymer matrices. This study applies different recycling procedures to GTR powder, based on thermal, chemical and mechanical methods, and combinations thereof, to minimize interfacial issues with other matrices used in TPV preparation. The effect of the different rubber recycling processes on the performance of the resulting TPVs was evaluated, optimizing the fraction of recycled rubber from ELTp and the vulcanization system to enhance the mechanical properties and obtain industrially competitive products.