Surface devulcanization of cured rubber crumb

Abstract

This invention discloses a process for devulcanizing the surface of reclaimed rubber crumb into surface devulcanized reclaimed rubber crumb that is suitable for being recompounded and recurred into high performance rubber products, said process comprising the steps of (1) heating the reclaimed rubber crumb to a temperature which is within the range of about 150° C. to about 300° C. under a pressure of at least about 3.4×106 Pascals in the presence of 2-butanol to devulcanize the surface of the rubber crumb thereby producing a slurry of the surface devulcanized reclaimed rubber crumb in the 2-butanol, wherein the reclaimed rubber crumb has a particle size which is within the range of about 325 mesh to about 20 mesh, and (2) separating the surface devulcanized reclaimed rubber crumb from the 2-butanol.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.