INVESTIGATION OF MECHANICAL, THERMAL, AND MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF EPDM COMPOUNDS CONTAINING RECLAIMED RUBBER

Abstract

ABSTRACT The disposal of polymeric and hazardous materials is an important global issue. Thus, the mechanochemical reclaiming of waste EPDM rubber was carried out using disulfide oil (DSO), oily waste produced in gas refineries, as a reclaiming agent at a specific operation condition. Reclaimed rubber was characterized by crosslink density, sol-gel, and Mooney viscosity measurements. Following the study, blending of different portions of reclaimed rubber (20, 40, 60, and 80 wt%) with virgin EPDM rubber was carried out. Results showed that the addition of 60 wt% of reclaimed rubber to the virgin EPDM rubber had no adverse effect on the scorch and optimum curing time. Also, mechanical properties of revulcanized rubber improved when 40 wt% of virgin EPDM rubber was replaced with the reclaimed rubber. Scanning electron microscope and thermal gravimetric analyses of the samples revealed the effect of addition of reclaimed rubber on the rubber matrix and thermal stability of revulcanized samples, respectively. This study proposes a new route for solving the problem of disposal of the waste materials.