Summary
In the Federal Republic of Germany a million megagrams or tons of used and waste rubber must be disposed of yearly. The largest part consists of vehicle tyres making up 600,000 Mg.
In order to recycle these materials elastomer alloys of powdered rubber and thermoplast, which demonstrate mechanical properties typical for elastomers but can be processed thermoplastically, should be developed.
The tasks include
- supplying a mixed smelting technique for the production of dynamically stabilised compounds of powdered rubber and thermoplasts,
- developing a recipe to ascertain the optimal mixture proportions of thermoplast and powdered rubber,
- determination of the effects of additional stabilizing systems,
- examinations on the mechanical properties and the recyclability of the compounds,
- investigations on the economic efficiency of the process, and
- the production and testing of prototypes.
Results:
- The process developed enabled production of the desired compounds from the raw materials named above with special additives which function as phase couplers.
- The addition of plasticizers and fillers can specifically influence the mechanical properties.
- Testing the samples yielded values of a large magnitude as they also showed properties of pure thermoplastic elastomers. The production costs of this process however, were up to two thirds lower.
