Effective Thermal-Oxidative Reclamation of Waste Tire Rubbers for Producing High-Performance Rubber Composites

摘要

The disposal and accumulation of waste tire rubbers has a significant negative impact on the development of a circular economy and sustainable environment. To reuse and recycle ground tire rubber, we developed a thermal-oxidative reclamation process using a newly designed dynamic reclamation reactor. In the absence of any chemical agent, a high scission efficiency was achieved at a sol fraction of 66.53 wt % at 200 degrees C after 20 min from the thermal oxidation of GTR. The physical and chemical structural evolutions of GTR during the thermo-oxidation process were systemically investigated by monitoring the Mooney viscosity, sol-gel ratio, molecular weight, and chemical structure changes. The reclaimed ground tire rubber containing ultrafine fillers and soluble elastomer can be easily dispersed into a natural rubber matrix. The mechanical properties and aging resistance of the modified natural rubber were enhanced with the addition of up to 40 wt % reclaimed ground tire rubber. This work demonstrates a green and up-scalable approach for reclamation and reuse of waste tire rubbers for a sustainable rubber industry.