ABSTRACT
Not only is there interest in the use of renewable raw materials such as natural rubber and llers such as calcium carbonate, there are also both environmental and economic reasons to recycle and reclaim scrap rubber. The automotive industry has studied and, in some instances, set targets for recycle content of up to 25% of postconsumer and industrial scrap in their products with no increase in cost or loss in performance. Post-consumer scrap recycling is the reuse of products that have completed their service life. These products can be ground into a ne powder; more recently, attempts are being made to return materials to their original state via devulcanization or other chemical degradation process. Industrial scrap is the waste material generated in the original manufacturing process. In this instance, the goal of recycling is to ensure that all this material is used in the production of high-quality goods. The purpose of this discussion is to provide the rubber technologist with introductory information on how to be compliant with these broad environmental objectives and contain cost while satisfying the end-product design and performance criteria. The discussion will describe the various forms and types of rubber recyclates available to the compounder and show how they can be incorporated into a rubber compound. The effect of these rubber recyclates on the rubber compound will also be demonstrated in the form of physical and performance data.
