Novel Ultrasonic Technology for Devulcanization of Waste Rubbers

1995 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. I. Isayev ◽  
J. Chen ◽  
A. Tukachinsky

Abstract A novel patented process and several reactors have been developed for devulcanization of waste rubbers. The technology is based on the use of the high power ultrasonics. The ultrasonic waves of certain levels in the presence of pressure and heat rapidly break up the three-dimensional network in crosslinked rubbers. The devulcanized rubber can be reprocessed, shaped and revulcanized in much the same way as a virgin rubber. The first laboratory reactor has been scaled up to pilot-plant level by the National Feedscrew and Machining, Inc. Various devulcanization experiments were carried out with model styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and with ground rubber tire (GRT). Curing behavior, Theological properties, and structural characteristics of rubbers devulcanized at various processing conditions were studied, as well as mechanical properties of revulcanized rubber samples. A possible mechanism of the devulcanization is discussed. The performed measurements indicate that the rubbers are partially devulcanized, and the devulcanization process is accompanied by certain degradation of the macromolecular chains. In spite of these observations, the processing conditions are identified at which the retention of the mechanical properties is found to be good. A further work is in progress to find the optimal conditions of devulcanization and to improve the selectivity of the process towards breaking up the chemical network only.

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 698
Author(s):  
Selin Sökmen ◽  
Katja Oßwald ◽  
Katrin Reincke ◽  
Sybill Ilisch

High compatibility and good rubber–filler interactions are required in order to obtain high quality products. Rubber–filler and filler–filler interactions can be influenced by various material factors, such as the presence of processing aids. Although different processing aids, especially the plasticizers, and their effects on compatibility have been investigated in the literature, their influence on rubber–filler interactions in highly active filler reinforced mixtures is not explicit and has not been investigated in depth. For this purpose, the influence of treated distillate aromatic extract (TDAE) oil content and its addition time on interactions between silica and rubber chains were investigated in this study. Rubber–filler and filler–filler interactions of uncured and cured silica-filled SBR/BR blends were characterized by using rubber layer L concept and dynamic mechanical analysis, whereas mechanical properties were studied by tensile test and Shore A hardness. Five parts per hundred rubber (phr) TDAE addition at 0, 1.5, and 3 min of mixing were characterized to investigate the influence of TDAE addition time on rubber–filler interactions. It was observed that addition time of TDAE can influence the development of bounded rubber structure and the interfacial interactions, especially at short time of mixing, less than 5 min. Oil addition with silica at 1.5 min of mixing resulted in fast rubber layer development and a small reduction in storage shear modulus of uncured blends. The influence of oil content on rubber–filler and filler–filler interactions were investigated for the binary blends without oil, with 5 and 20 phr TDAE content. The addition of 5 phr oil resulted in a slight increase in rubber layer and 0.05 MPa reduction in Payne effect of uncured blends. The storage tensile modulus of vulcanizates at small strains decreased from 13.97 to 8.28 MPa after oil addition. Twenty parts per hundred rubber (phr) oil addition to binary blends caused rubber layer L to decrease from 0.45 to 0.42. The storage tensile modulus of the vulcanizates and its reduction with higher amplitudes were incontrovertibly high among the vulcanizates with lower oil content, which were 13.57 and 4.49 MPa, respectively. When any consequential change in mechanical properties of styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR)/butadiene rubber (BR) blends could not be observed at different TDAE addition time, increasing amount of oil in blends enhanced elongation at break, and decreased Shore A hardness and tensile strength.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 519
Author(s):  
Vitalii Bezgin ◽  
Agata Dudek ◽  
Adam Gnatowski

This paper proposes and presents the chemical modification of linear hydroxyethers (LHE) with different molecular weights (380, 640, and 1830 g/mol) with the addition of three types of rubbers (polysulfide rubber (PSR), polychloroprene rubber (PCR), and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)). The main purpose of choosing this type of modification and the materials used was the possibility to use it in industrial settings. The modification process was conducted for a very wide range of modifier additions (rubber) per 100 g LHE. The materials obtained in the study were subjected to strength tests in order to determine the effect of the modification on functional properties. Mechanical properties of the modified materials were improved after the application of the modifier (rubber) to polyhydroxyether (up to certain modifier content). The most favorable changes in the tested materials were registered in the modification of LHE-1830 with PSR. In the case of LHE-380 and LHE-640 modified in cyclohexanol (CH) and chloroform (CF) solutions, an increase in the values of the tested properties was also obtained, but to a lesser extent than for LHE-1830. The largest changes were registered for LHE-1830 with PSR in CH solution: from 12.1 to 15.3 MPa for compressive strength tests, from 0.8 to 1.5 MPa for tensile testing, from 0.8 to 14.7 MPa for shear strength, and from 1% to 6.5% for the maximum elongation. The analysis of the available literature showed that the modification proposed by the authors has not yet been presented in any previous scientific paper.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2413
Author(s):  
Mariapaola Staropoli ◽  
Vincent Rogé ◽  
Enzo Moretto ◽  
Joffrey Didierjean ◽  
Marc Michel ◽  
...  

The improvement of mechanical properties of polymer-based nanocomposites is usually obtained through a strong polymer–silica interaction. Most often, precipitated silica nanoparticles are used as filler. In this work, we study the synergetic effect occurring between dual silica-based fillers in a styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)/polybutadiene (PBD) rubber matrix. Precipitated Highly Dispersed Silica (HDS) nanoparticles (10 nm) have been associated with spherical Stöber silica nanoparticles (250 nm) and anisotropic nano-Sepiolite. By imaging filler at nano scale through Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy, we have shown that anisotropic fillers align only in presence of a critical amount of HDS. The dynamic mechanical analysis of rubber compounds confirms that this alignment leads to a stiffer nanocomposite when compared to Sepiolite alone. On the contrary, spherical 250 nm nanoparticles inhibit percolation network and reduce the nanocomposite stiffness.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096739112110313
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdel-Hakim ◽  
Soma A el-Mogy ◽  
Ahmed I Abou-Kandil

Blending of rubber is an important route to modify properties of individual elastomeric components in order to obtain optimum chemical, physical, and mechanical properties. In this study, a novel modification of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) is made by employing acrylic rubber (ACM) to obtain blends of outstanding mechanical, dynamic, and oil resistance properties. In order to achieve those properties, we used a unique vulcanizing system that improves the crosslink density between both polymers and enhances the dynamic mechanical properties as well as its resistance to both motor and break oils. Static mechanical measurements, tensile strength, elongation at break, and hardness are improved together with dynamic mechanical properties investigated using dynamic mechanical analyses. We also proposed a mechanism for the improvement of crosslink density and consequently oil resistance properties. This opens new opportunities for using SBR/ACM blends in oil sealing applications that requires rigorous mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties.


Author(s):  
Koushik Pal ◽  
Soumya Ghosh Chowdhury ◽  
Dipankar Mondal ◽  
Dipankar Chattopadhyay ◽  
Sanjay Kumar Bhattacharyya ◽  
...  

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