Method and product of modifying vulcanized rubber
AssigneeAppia, LLC
InventorsGeorg Bohm, Xuesong Yan, Yu Sun, Li Jia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method, and product thereof, for modifying the surface of recycled sulfur-cured rubber via surface devulcanization that minimizes alteration of the network structure of the recycled sulfur-cured rubber, while generating strong tack between mixed recycled rubber and fresh rubber for optimal adhesion upon subsequent co-curing. In one embodiment, the surface of recycled rubber is devulcanized by treating recycled rubber with a thiol and a base dissolved in a solvent that does not effectively penetrate and only minimally swells vulcanized rubbers.
Claims20
A vulcanizable rubber product comprising surface-devulcanized ground rubber particles and fresh rubber, wherein said surface-devulcanized ground rubber particles are derived by treating ground rubber particles with a surface devulcanization catalyst.
A vulcanizable rubber product comprising surface-devulcanized ground rubber particles, fresh rubber, and an agent that reduces the modulus differences at the interface between the surface-devulcanized ground rubber particles and fresh rubber upon co-curing of the surface-devulcanized ground rubber particles and fresh rubber.
A method for recycling rubber comprising the steps:
- a. providing a recycled rubber compound;
- b. grinding the recycled rubber compound to form ground rubber particles;
- and
- c. devulcanizing a surface of the ground rubber particles with a surface devulcanization catalyst to form surface-devulcanized ground rubber particles.
A method for recycling rubber comprising the steps:
- a. providing a recycled rubber compound;
- b. grinding the recycled rubber compound to form ground rubber particles;
- and
- c. devulcanizing a surface of the ground rubber particles with a surface devulcanization catalyst to form surface-devulcanized ground rubber particles, wherein the surface of the ground rubber particles is devulcanized to a depth of about 100 μm or less and the surface devulcanization catalyst is modified to significantly reduce a rate of diffusion of the surface devulcanization catalyst within a matrix of the ground rubber particles to limit the surface devulcanization of the ground rubber particles to the depth of less than 100 μm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.