Science and Technology of Reclaimed Rubber

Abstract

Abstract Developments in the rubber reclaiming industry are closely related to those in the rubber industry in general. The vulcanized rubber produced by the latter becomes in time the raw material used by the former. Although not superficially obvious, there has been considerable change in the reclaiming industry in the past two decades, required by the introduction of large proportions of synthetic rubber. Since this occurs both alone and in blends with natural rubber, reclaiming of SBR had to be studied in detail so that processes could be adjusted to give approximately the same viscosity from synthetic rubber and from natural, retaining existing procedures for fiber removal and mechanical handling as much as possible. It would have been economically impossible for reclaimers to use any process which required segregation and separate disposal of a substantial part of their raw material. The machinery used in the production of reclaim, and the reclaiming processes used today, are for the major part still the same as used before. The object of reclaiming vulcanized scrap is still the same, i.e., the breakdown (depolymerization) of the scrap to a plastic state which will permit reuse of it in the current rubber processing machinery for the manufacture of new goods. This breakdown is achieved by the application of energy. The type of energy is fundamentally irrelevant, but economics today dictate that it be heat, with partial exclusion of the oxidizing atmosphere, and therefore most of today's reclaim production is carried out in steam. One new continuous reclaiming process was developed during the last fifteen years which relies on electric energy to provide the necessary heat and working of the vulcanized scrap. A fundamental change in requirements of reclaim was also brought about once the synthetic rubber production had proceeded to the point where it was commercially possible to assign more detailed specifications which described the polymer processing behavior limits—a feat not previously achieved for commercial natural rubber. This type of specification was carred over to a considerable extent into the production and sale of today's reclaim. All in all, the extensive research and polymer knowledge which were acquired for the successful production of synthetic rubber have resulted in a much greater control in the production of reclaim and a much greater understanding of the reactions occurring in polymers during reclaiming. Because vulcanized scrap usually contains extraneous material (fiber) which must be removed during reclaiming the process conditions have in the past been selected primarily to accomplish this removal and were not those best suited for the actual reclaiming reaction. Progress has been made during these last years in removing the fibrous materials before reclamation, thereby permitting conditions in the devulcanization cycle to be determined by the actual needs of the vulcanized scrap.