Virgin butadiene rubber

This solid product was incorporated into SBR/butadiene rubber (BR) blends at various levels, and the mechanical and dynamic properties were compared with those of conventional silica/carbon black (2 1 ratio) filled SBR/BR compounds. The results showed that the physical properties, and the dynamic ones (such as heat build-up and tan 8), of the two types of compound were comparable. Their work showed that the recovered silica had a similar particle size to virgin silica, and its ability to disperse evenly within the rubber matrix was also similar. 

Attempts have been made to use compatibiUsers in reclaiming three-component plastics waste consisting of PE, PP and PS. The PET (bottles) were first separated, and the remaining three polymers were successfiilly compatibilised with a mixture of EPDM rubber and styrene-butadiene block copolymer. Provided that a substituted diamine stabiliser was also added, the recycled mix achieved impact strength values comparable with those of virgin polyolefins. 

Another type of depolymerisation process involves reducing the waste rubber from tyres back to its very basic chemical units of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. For example, a process for the conversion of waste tyre rubber into butadiene has been reported by GEM Fuels [21]. The process first converts the rubber into ethanol, which is oxidised to acetaldehyde, and then catalytically reacts with additional ethanol to generate butadiene. The butadiene can then be mixed with styrene in various proportions and copolymerised to produce virgin SBR, which has similar properties to the SBR used initially to produce the tyre. 

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