Scrap rubber recycling in nitrile rubber composites

Abstract

In this study, scrap rubber were recycled by blending with nitrile rubber composites, having carbon black as filler. Resulting composites have been investigated, in terms of rheological and dynamic-static mechanical properties as well as their dimensional stabilities in organic solvents, as a function of carbon black-ground rubber compositions together with the size of ground rubber and their surface modification. Results have shown that, replacement of carbon black with ground rubber in a composite, has performed more reasonable rheological properties as well as improved dynamic properties, with respect to the composites having only carbon black as filler. The loss in swelling and some static mechanic values of the composites due to this replacement, can be tolerated by using small-sized and silanized ground rubber. In the light of this study, it has been observed that by tailoring the composition, size and modification of ground rubber, it is possible to obtain composites having optimum rheological and mechanical properties, maximum vibrational damping capacity as well as minimum swelling in hydrocarbon media.