Recycling Devulcanized EPDM to Improve Engineering Properties of SBR Composites

A. Kumar, P. Sharma, R. Singh

Location

SSRN

Abstract

Ethylene propylene diene rubbers (EPDM) have gained substantial attention in automotive and industrial applications owing to their exceptional resistance against weathering and heat. Despite their advantages, the elastomeric nature of EPDM poses challenges in its recycling due to the presence of crosslinks in their chemical structure, preventing them from melting. To overcome this issue, devulcanized EPDM (EPDMd) has been developed, characterized by the effective breaking of these crosslinks. Our study focuses on the SBR/EPDMd combination, also incorporating silica, a widely used formulation for composites.Our research aimed to collect comprehensive data on the mechanical, thermal, structural and dielectric properties of SBR composites containing EPDMd at variable compositions (0, 20, 40, 50, 60 phr). Employing techniques such as TGA, FTIR, and SEM, we explored the microstructural changes underlying the evident macroscopic effects on the measured properties.Our results show that incorporating EPDMd improves the crosslinking degree and, at optimal 40 phr loading significantly boosts the mechanical properties of SBR matrix. The addition of SiO2 reduce tensile strength and elongation, while increasing the Young's modulus. Interestingly, this trend diverges for compositions around 40 phr EPDMd. This irregularity can be attributed to the complex microstructural changes resulting from the interaction between SiO2 and EPDMd, alongside the different dispersion states of these materials in the SBR matrix. Additionally, our dielectric measurements are in concordance with the obtained results, indicating a moderation of the MWS effect due to the addition of SiO2 in highly-filled EPDMd composites, particularly at the EPDMd content of 40 phr.

Let's make the use of biobased and recovered raw materials the new standard.

Let's make the use of biobased and recovered raw materials the new standard.

Let's make the use of biobased and recovered raw materials the new standard.