CWC

Best Practices in Scrap Tires & Rubber Recycling

Additives for Surface Modification

Material: Recycled Rubber from Tires, Industrial Scrap Rubber, and Post-Consumer Scrap Rubber Products Issue:
Virgin rubbers are high viscosity liquids. Recycled rubbers are produced from used rubber items that are higher in viscosity and molecular weight. As a result, it is usually difficult to get good bonding and dispersion of recycled rubber in virgin rubber. Surface modifiers are added to improve the compatibility of recycled rubber with virgin rubber.

Best Practice: A tremendous amount of research has been done in this area.
applications of the surface modifiers are shown below: Material Urethanes SBR Latex NR Latex Ricon 100 (Sol SBR) Vestenamer Vestol 28 Struktol 40 MS GRA Supplier Bayer, Uniroyal Many Many Ricon Resins Huls Struktol Struktol Flow Polymers Cost, $/lb 2.00 0.50 0.60 2.30 2.00 1.00 0.60 Unknown

The most practical

Use Moisture Seal Binder/Wetting Agent Binder/Wetting Agent Binder/Adhesive Thermoplastic Binder Curable regrind wetting agent Noncurable regrind homog. agent Binding Agent

See Fillers-Recycled Crumb Rubber, Recycled Rubber Content Effect on Properties of Virgin Compounds, and Surface Modified Recyclates Best Practices.

Implementation: The

materials listed above can be added to virgin compounds at application dependent levels during the mixing stage. The ultimate application of the compound will determine the type and amount of additive that needs to be used (e.g., non-similar chemistry blends/additions, base chemistry types, etc.). Any manufacturer making rubber compounds is a candidate to use these materials.

Benefits:

The reason for using surface modifiers is to improve interpolymer compatibility, end-use properties, processing characteristics, and mix consistency when using recycled rubber by improving the surface bonding/adhesion of the virgin rubber and the recyclate. The urethanes make up 90-95% of surface modifiers used for modifying recycled rubber due to their ease of implementation and adhesive characteristics.

Processing / Materials Preparation Page 1 of 2

BP-T2-04-06.doc

Copyright 1998 CWC. All rights reserved. Federal Copyright Laws prohibit reproduction in whole or in part without express permission of CWC.

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Best Practices in Scrap Tires & Rubber Recycling

Application Sites:

For detailed information about the suppliers and users of surface modifiers, see the Rubber Blue Book and the Scrap Tire Directory. For more information about this Best Practice, contact the CWC at (206) 443-7746, email info@cwc.org.

Contact:

References:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Struktol Technical Bulletin, Struktol Vestol 28. US Patent to Fred Stark, Rubber Recovery Institute, on Surface Modification. Trautman, John, Midwest Elastomers, P.O. Box 412, Wapakoneta, OH. Wasko, Joe, Struktol Co., 201 E. Steels Corner Road, Stow, OH. Fesus, Ed, Goldsmith & Eggleton, 300 First Street, Wadsworth, OH. Smith, Fernly, President, ETA, 3862 The Ridge, Port Clinton, OH. See Best Practices on Bonding Agents, Adhesives, and Binders.

Issue Date / Update: April 1998

Processing / Materials Preparation Page 2 of 2

BP-T2-04-06.doc

Copyright 1998 CWC. All rights reserved. Federal Copyright Laws prohibit reproduction in whole or in part without express permission of CWC.