CATALYTIC DEVULCANIZATION OF RUBBER

摘要

The present invention generally relates to the devulcanization of rubber.Specifically for the recycling of rubber, and rubber tires. A process for thedevulcanization of rubber is described, comprising the steps of contactingvulcanized rubber crumb with a rubber-swelling solvent capable of swelling therubber to form solventcapable of swelling the rubber to form solvent-swollenvulcanized rubber; heating the solvent-swollen vulcanized rubber in thepresence of a hydrogen source to initiate a devulcanization reaction toproceed for a time sufficient to effectively devulcanize the vulcanizedrubber. A monophasic devulcanization solution comprising a hydrogenationcatalyst precursor and a rubber-swelling solvent is also described.