Method and composition for devulcanization of waste rubber

A method of de-vulcanizing waste rubber made of a network of polymer macromolecules wherein there are sulfur to sulfur bonds between sulfur atoms, sulfur to carbon bonds between sulfur atoms and carbon atoms and carbon to carbon bonds between carbon atoms, comprising the steps of:

• (A) turning the waste rubber, using any known means, into particles of waste rubber, said known means typically being shredding and crushing the waste rubber to make particles of waste rubber;
• (B) removing any metal by magnetically separating said metal from the particles of waste rubber;
• (C) simultaneously adding a modifying composition to the particles of waste rubber while the particles of waste rubber are being poured into an area between rollers of a first roll mill that crushes the particles, thereby creating modified crushed particles, said modifying composition being a mixture of (1) a proton donor that breaks the sulfur to sulfur bonds and renders the sulfur atoms passive, (2) a metal oxide that build new bonds between macromolecules for later re-vulcanization, (3) an organic acid that reacts with the metal oxide and build new bonds between macromolecules for later revulcanization, (4) a vulcanization inhibitor that prevents re-attachment of sulfur radicals with each other before the proton donor attaches itself to the sulfur and (5) a friction agent that prevents sliding of the waste rubber between the rollers of the first roll mill and between rollers of a second roll mill and of further roll mills;
• (D) pouring the modified crushed particles of waste rubber into an area between rollers of the second roll mill that crushes the modified crushed particles of waste rubber;
• (E) repeating Step (D) by pouring the modified crushed particles of waste rubber into an area between rollers of eight further roll mills;
• (F) checking a consistency of the modified crushed particles of waste rubber resulting from steps (A) through (E) and then repeating step (D) for rollers of additional roll mills as necessary to reach a desired consistency,
• the method maintaining an integrity of a macromolecule of waste rubber and rendering sulfur atoms passive for a later revulcanization, said method being cost effective, environmentally friendly and said method producing high quality de-vulcanized rubber.

A method of de-vulcanizing particles of waste rubber made of a network of polymer macromolecules from which metal has already been removed, wherein in the particles of waste rubber there are sulfur to sulfur bonds between sulfur atoms, sulfur to carbon bonds between sulfur and carbon atoms and carbon to carbon bonds between carbon atoms, comprising the steps of:

• (A) simultaneously adding a modifying composition to the particles of waste rubber while the particles of waste rubber are being poured into an area between rollers of a first roll mill that crushes the particles, thereby creating modified crushed particles, said modifying composition being a mixture of (1) a proton donor that breaks the sulfur to sulfur bonds and renders the sulfur passive, (2) a metal oxide that build new bonds between macromolecules for later re-vulcanization, (3) an organic acid that reacts with the metal oxide and build new bonds between macromolecules for later re-vulcanization, (4) a vulcanization inhibitor that prevents re-attachment of sulfur radicals with each other before the proton donor attaches itself to the sulfur and (5) a friction agent that prevents sliding of the waste rubber between the rollers of the first roll mill and between rollers of a second roll mill and of further roll mills;
• (B) pouring the modified crushed particles of waste rubber into an area between rollers of the second roll mill that crushes the modified crushed particles of waste rubber;
• (C) repeating Step (B) by pouring the modified crushed particles of waste rubber into an area between rollers of eight further roll mills;
• (D) checking a consistency of the modified crushed particles of waste rubber resulting from steps (A) through (C) and then repeating step (B) for rollers of additional roll mills as necessary to reach a desired consistency,
• the method maintaining an integrity of a macromolecule of waste rubber and rendering sulfur atoms passive for a later re-vulcanization, said method being cost effective, environmentally friendly and said method producing high quality de-vulcanized rubber.

A method of de-vulcanizing particles of waste rubber made of a network of polymer macromolecules wherein there are sulfur to sulfur bonds between sulfur atoms, sulfur to carbon bonds between sulfur atoms and carbon atoms and carbon to carbon bonds between carbon atoms, comprising the steps of:

• (A) removing any metal by magnetically separating said metal from the particles of waste rubber;
• (B) simultaneously adding a modifying composition to the particles of waste rubber while the particles of waste rubber are being poured into an area between rollers of a first roll mill that crushes the particles, thereby creating modified crushed particles, said modifying composition being a mixture of (1) a proton donor that breaks the sulfur to sulfur bonds and renders the sulfur atoms passive, (2) a metal oxide that build new bonds between macromolecules for later re-vulcanization, (3) an organic acid that reacts with the metal oxide and build new bonds between macromolecules for later revulcanization, (4) a vulcanization inhibitor that prevents re-attachment of sulfur radicals with each other before the proton donor attaches itself to the sulfur and (5) a friction agent that prevents sliding of the waste rubber between the rollers of the first roll mill and between rollers of a second roll mill and of further roll mills;
• (C) pouring the modified crushed particles of waste rubber into an area between rollers of the second roll mill that crushes the modified crushed particles of waste rubber;
• (D) repeating Step (C) by pouring the modified crushed particles of waste rubber into an area between rollers of eight further roll mills;
• (E) checking a consistency of the modified crushed particles of waste rubber resulting from steps (A) through (D) and then repeating step (C) for rollers of additional roll mills as necessary to reach a desired consistency,
• the method maintaining an integrity of a macromolecule of waste rubber and rendering sulfur atoms passive for a later revulcanization, said method being cost effective, environmentally friendly and said method producing high quality de-vulcanized rubber.