Delink process

A technology for the devulcanization of sulfur-cured scrap elastomers was developed, (Kohler and O Neill, 1997a,b) using a material termed Delink (Sekhar and Kormer, 1995), and this technique was designated as the Delink process. In this process, 100 parts of 40 mesh or finer mbber crumb is mixed with... 

One of the more recent presentations describing the technical aspects of the DeLink process, its economic and environmental benefits, and the properties of rubber compounds containing the DR was presented by Nieto of Green Rubber Global at the ACS Rubber Division Fall Meeting in 2009 [42]. It is also the case that DR that results from the use of the DeLink technology can be referred to as De-Vulc [43]. 

A devulcanisation process that has some similarities to the DeLink process has been published as a US patent by Tang (US 6590042). In this process, a specially designed twin-screw extruder is used, with the waste rubber in a crumb form, and a reclaiming agent that includes the following rubber compounds ... 

A more recent article that addressed the use of the DeLink process was published in Rubber Journal Asia [13]. It featured the Gujarat Reclaim and Rubber Products Company, which produces reclaimed rubber from both synthetic and NR waste, as well as a light-coloured reclaim from latex scrap using the Rubplast process. The company uses Green Rubber s patented devulcanisation agent, DeLink, at a ratio of two parts DeLink to 100 parts crumbed waste rubber, to produce a product that can be incorporated back into new rubber compounds. The article claims that this is very advantageous to the rubber industry as it enables them to re-use the 5-15% of waste, which they typically throw away. 

Produces strong, blocky coke having good reactivity. Involves low capital and running costs. Production process delinks with availability of markets for byproducts. Allows shut down without any detrimental effects to refractory. Produces hard coke for foundry. The process is characterized by simplicity. There involves no requirements of extra fuel for heating as in by-product oven practice. 

Some of the earliest cited practical, third-party trials of DeLink were reported in Plastics and Rubber Weekly [6]. The article covered the official launch for DeLink at the International Seminar and Workshop on Devulcanisation Using DeLink R Process that was held at the TARRC laboratories (then MRPRA). Papers that were presented generally endorsed the claims made by STI-K that the rubber devulcanised by DeLink can be used in manufacture or blended with fresh rubber compound to obtain the desired levels of technological performance. Rubber that had been devulcanised with DeLink had been used successfully to ... 

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