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A new material recycling technology for crosslinked
rubber was developed using the continuous reactive processing
method. In this process of producing reclaimed rubber,
breakage of crosslinking points in the crosslinked rubber
occurs selectively under the controls of shear stress,
reaction temperature, and internal pressure in a modular
screw type reactor. Deodorization during the process
has also become possible by a newly developed method.
The reclaimed rubber obtained from rubber waste generated
from both manufacturing products and post-consumer products
shows excellent mechanical properties applicable to
new rubber compounds. Furthermore, an enhanced rubber
recycling process for producing thermoplastic elastomer
(TPE) based on rubber waste has been established. The
TPE obtained exhibits highly recoverable rubber elasticity
and mechanical properties comparable to commercial TPE.
It is expected that the rubber recycling technology
developed during this study will contribute to protecting
the environment and also saving resources.
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