Apparatus and method for de-vulcanisation of rubber

An apparatus for de-vulcanisation of rubber from a rubber component, the apparatus comprising:

• a cleaning device configured to clean or sanitize the rubber;
• and
• a mixing device having two counter-rotating rotors configured to de-vulcanise the cleaned or sanitized rubber, each rotor comprising two long blades and two short blades on a circumference, wherein the long blades are disposed and rotation of the rotors is coordinated such that, upon rotation of the rotors, each of the long blades of a first of the rotors is adjacent to a corresponding one of the long blades of a second of the rotors,
• wherein the mixing device is configured such that the counter rotation causes the two long blades and the two short blades to apply mechanical stress in a substantially tangential direction, and
• wherein the rotors are arranged such that the mechanical stress is primarily applied to the rubber between the rotors.