Two-Step Cultivation Method for Microbial Disintegration of Tire Rubber Particles

A rubber-degrading strain of Nocardia was cultured on tread rubber particles from a truck tire by a two-step cultivation method. At the first step, the culture medium was either not agitated or stirred at very slow rate of 40 rpm for one or 2 weeks. At the second step, the culture medium was stirred at relatively higher stirring rate of 150 or 300 rpm for seven or six weeks. It was found that the rate of disintegration was greatly increased and the weight losses of the particles with diameters of about 2.3 mm were as high as 40% in the two-step method and only 20–30% in a one-step method in which the stirring rate was kept constant throughout the culture period. With this method, microbial colonization and disintegration were depressed particularly at the corners of the cubic particles and characteristic protuberant structures were observed at the corners after the removal of microbial cells by washing.     

Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide Modified Kaolin as a Reinforcing Filler for Natural Rubber

Cure characteristics, Mooney viscosity and physico-mechanical properties of natural rubber (NR) containing CTAB modified kaolin have been studied. NR mix containing 6 phr (parts per hundred part rubber) of CTAB modified kaolin showed significant increases in cure rate and state of cure as compared to gum NR compound and a mix containing the same amount of unmodified kaolin. Lower Mooney viscosity of the NR mix containing CTAB modified kaolin suggested improved processability. Reinforcing effect of CTAB modified kaolin in NR was evident from higher chemical crosslink density index, tensile modulus, hardness, tensile strength and tear strength. Besides, the NR vulcanizate containing 6 phr of CTAB modified kaolin showed lower abrasion loss and heat build-up which could be beneficial for applications such as tire treads.     

Utilization of limestone dust waste as filler in natural rubber

The possibility of using limestone dust waste (LDW) as a filler in natural rubber (NR) was investigated. First, the basic properties of LDW were characterized; LDW was then incorporated into NR and the compound properties were determined. Comparison of the reinforcing effect of LDW and other commercial fillers such as light-precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and nanoprecipitated calcium carbonate (NPCC) was made. The results revealed that even though the addition of LDW has little effect on compound processability, it has a negative effect on most mechanical properties, e.g., tensile strength, tear strength, and abrasion resistance, of the vulcanizate. Among the three fillers, the degree of reinforcement could be placed in the following order: NPCC > PCC > LDW. Due to their relatively low specific surface area and thus low reinforcement ability, both LDW and PCC can be grouped as nonreinforcing fillers, whereas NPCC, the specific surface area of which is relatively high, could be grouped as a semi-reinforcing filler for rubber.     

A Novel Packaging Film from Cassava Starch and Natural Rubber

Currently, there is an environmental pollution problem generated in part by packaging materials produced from non-biodegradable synthetic polymers made from petroleum. However, these can be replaced with biodegradable materials made from cassava starch (CS) and natural rubber (NR). In the work described, a novel biopolymer film was obtained from the CS and NR using glycerol (GE) as a plasticizer in a water-based system. The physical properties of an 95/5 CS/NR blend films with the addition of NR and with varying GE contents were studied based on their swelling ratio, moisture content, moisture absorption, mechanical properties and biodegradability in soil. The results showed that the moisture content and moisture absorption tended to be directly proportional to the GE content, while the moisture content and moisture absorption of the sample decreased as a function of the NR content. The swelling ratio of the 95/5 CS/NR blend slightly decreased as a function of the NR and GE content. Surprisingly, the best swelling ratio of 350% was found at 10% NR. The elongation at break of the CS/NR blend was improved by the addition of GE. The contact angle of the 95/5 CS/NR blend decreased as a function of the GE. With increased NR in the composite, an increasing, trend in the contact angle was found. Further, the 95/5 CS/NR blend exhibited good transparency when it was applied as a coating to delay the ripening of bananas, the results were positive. Moreover, the film showed decomposition well in natural soil.     

New Route for Devulcanization of Natural Rubber and the Properties of Devulcanized Rubber

Devulcanization of natural rubber (NR) compound was carried out by means of benzoyl peroxide as a devulcanizing agent by two different techniques namely (a) chemical process and (b) mechano-chemical process. Furthermore, the effects of time and concentration of devulcanizing agent on the devulcanization process were investigated. The extent of devulcanization of natural rubber was studied by estimation of percent devulcanization, volume fraction of rubber after swelling, Mooney viscosity and crosslinked density. The devulcanized natural rubber obtained from mechano-chemical process was blended with virgin natural rubber in different proportions. The mechanical properties and morphology of the revulcanized blends were examined and found to be interesting. Thus, waste rubber could be reused successfully by this technique.     

The Use of Interfacial Blend to Increase the Adhesion Properties of Natural Rubber/Polyvinylalcohol Multilayer Using Electron Beam Irradiation

Multilayers of natural rubber (NR) and polyvinylalcohol (PVA) were processed by casting natural rubber latex (NRL) then PVA with varying layer thickness. Adhesion between NR and PVA was found to be very poor, as determined with the peel method. The films of interfacial blend were composed of NRL and PVA having different ratios as a layer between NR/PVA layer, possessing good adhesion and exhibited one mechanical phase in tensile-elongation at break tests. The result of adhesion was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy study. Also, adhesion was too strong for delamination at the interface when the unit of three layers NR/blend/PVA was irradiated at 25 kGy. To probe the effect of the adhesion difference on mechanical behavior and deformation of NR/blend/PVA layers at dry and wet conditions, the peel strength was examined as a function of layer thickness and aging time. The results indicated that the interfacial blend, irradiation process and film thickness were the key parameters affecting adhesion of NR/PVA layer.     

Utilization of Porous Carbons Derived from Coconut Shell and Wood in Natural Rubber

The porous carbons derived from cellulose are renewable and environmentally friendly. Coconut shell and wood derived porous carbons were characterized with elemental analysis, ash content, X-ray diffraction, infrared absorbance, particle size, surface area, and pore volume. The results were compared with carbon black. Uniaxial deformation of natural rubber (NR) composites indicate the composites reinforced with the porous carbon from coconut shell have higher tensile moduli at the same elongation ratio than the composites reinforced with wood carbon. 40 % coconut shell composite showed a fivefold increase in tensile modulus compared to NR. Polymer–filler interactions were studied with frequency dependent shear modulus, swelling experiments and dynamic strain sweep experiments. Both linear and non-linear viscoelastic properties indicate the polymer–filler interactions are similar between coconut shell carbon and wood carbon reinforced composites. The swelling experiments, however, showed that the polymer–filler interaction is greater in the composites reinforced with coconut shell instead of wood carbon.     

废旧天然胶胶粉应用研究

以80目的废天然胶胶粉为研究对象,处理后将其分别以20%,30%的比例添加到天然混炼胶(NR)中,制备废胶粉/NR共混硫化胶;同时,通过邻苯二甲酸酐(PA)和高芳烃油对胶粉进行处理改性,制备了全胶粉弹性体。拉伸强度测试表明,对于共混胶弹性体,NR混炼胶空白样的拉伸强度为19.21 MPa,添加20%,30%比例的胶粉/NR共混硫化胶的拉伸强度可以分别达到18.03 MPa,17.23 MPa;改性后制备的全胶粉混炼胶硫化样品拉伸强度达到8.12 MPa,超过了再生胶的国标标准。同时应用扫描电子显微镜SEM分析、比较了各试样断裂面的微观结构,应用比表面仪BET和SEM表征了胶粉的表面形貌与结构,发现胶粉表面呈现"绒球"状,具有较好的表面性能。     

A Novel Environmentally Compatible Bio-Based Product from Gelatin and Natural Rubber: Physical Properties

The objective of the present work was to study the preparation of a novel bio-based product from gelatin (GT) and natural rubber (NR) using potassium persulphate (KPS) as an initiator. The GT and NR composites (GT/NR composites) containing KPS were formed in an aqueous latex solution. The chemical structure of the GT/NR composite was characterized by ATR-FTIR, and XRD. The highest tensile strength was observed in a 9/1 GT/NR composite and the elongation at break of this composite was improved by the addition of both NR and glycerol. In addition, the swelling ratio increased as a function of increasing GT content in the composite. The thermal stability of the GT was improved after the formation of the chemical interaction between the NR and GT helped by the KPS. The best ratio of the GT/NR composite was 3/7 GT/NR. This environmentally friendly composite easily decomposed in natural soil within 30 days. The novel biopolymer showed high mechanical properties, water resistance and was produced in an environmentally compatible process. The NR was able to improve some of the physical and mechanical properties of GT biofilms produced from the composite. Possible future applications of this composite are for medical materials, and the packaging and life extension of food products.     

Effect of Nucleating Agents on Physical Properties of Poly(lactic acid) and Its Blend with Natural Rubber

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) presents high strength and modulus, but very low toughness as well as slow crystallization. Natural rubber (NR) was blended to enhance the toughness and nucleating agent was added to improve the crystallization. Cyclodextrin (CD), considered as a green compound, as well as calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and talc were used as nucleating agents. Effects of these nucleating agents on crystallization, mechanical properties and morphology of neat PLA and PLA/NR blend were investigated. It was found that the addition of talc and CD decreased cold crystallization temperature (T_cc) of the PLA. Same result was obtained in PLA/NR blend containing talc. All nucleating agents increased the degree of crystallinity (Χ_C) of PLA, whereas only talc and CaCO₃ increased Χ_C of PLA in PLA/NR blends. The enhanced toughness of PLA by the addition of nucleating agent was attributed to its increased crystallinity, as well as decreased spherulite size. For PLA/NR blends, the increase in toughness was mainly contributed by the presence of the rubber.     

Possible use of sludge ash as filler in natural rubber

Potential use of sludge ash as a filler in NR was studied. In this study, two grades of sludge ash namely SA-300 and SA-700 were prepared by sintering sludge waste obtained from concentrated natural rubber (NR) latex production at 300 and 700 °C, respectively. Properties of NR filled with various contents of SA-300 and SA-700 were then investigated and compared with those of NR filled with precipitated calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). The results reveal that, regardless of the filler type, both scorch time (t _s1) and optimum cure time (t _c90) decrease whereas hardness and modulus increase with increasing filler loading. At a given loading, both SA-300 and SA-700 give shorter scorch time and cure time with higher hardness and modulus than CaCO₃. Due to their higher specific surface area and greater cure activation efficiency, SA-300 and SA-700 provide better reinforcement, i.e., greater tensile strength; tear strength and abrasion resistance than CaCO₃. Taken as a whole, it could be said that the two grades of sludge ash could be utilized as rubber fillers with economic advantage.     

Kinetics of scrap tyre pyrolysis under vacuum conditions

Scrap tyre pyrolysis under vacuum is attractive because it allows easier product condensation and control of composition (gas, liquid and solid). With the aim of determining the effect of vacuum on the pyrolysis kinetics, a study has been carried out in thermobalance. Two data analysis methods have been used in the kinetic study: (i) the treatment of experimental data of weight loss and (ii) the deconvolution of DTG (differential thermogravimetry) curve. The former allows for distinguishing the pyrolysis of the three main components (volatile components, natural rubber and styrene–butadiene rubber) according to three successive steps. The latter method identifies the kinetics for the pyrolysis of individual components by means of DTG curve deconvolution. The effect of vacuum in the process is significant. The values of activation energy for the pyrolysis of individual components of easier devolatilization (volatiles and NR) are lower for pyrolysis under vacuum with a reduction of 12 K in the reaction starting temperature. The kinetic constant at 503 K for devolatilization of volatile additives at 0.25 atm is 1.7 times higher than that at 1 atm, and that corresponding to styrene–butadiene rubber at 723 K is 2.8 times higher. Vacuum enhances the volatilization and internal diffusion of products in the pyrolysis process, which contributes to attenuating the secondary reactions of the repolymerization and carbonization of these products on the surface of the char (carbon black). The higher quality of carbon black is interesting for process viability.The large-scale implementation of this process in continuous mode requires a comparison to be made between the economic advantages of using a vacuum and the energy costs, which will be lower when the technologies used for pyrolysis require a lower ratio between reactor volume and scrap tyre flow rate.     

Aerosol Generation by Bubble Collapse at Ocean Surfaces

Sea salt particles are part ofmarine aerosols in the troposphere. A fraction ofthese particles is released by droplets generatedduring the bursting of bubbles at the ocean surface.Droplets result from fragmentation of film caps (filmdroplets) and the disintegration of water jets formedsubsequent to the bubble collapse (jet droplets).This release process is also of importance fortechnical applications and, consequently, simulationtools have been developed, which now may be used toquantify the contribution of these effects to marineaerosol generation. To calculate the amount of filmdroplets generated, it is necessary to determine thevolume of the film cap, which is a function of itsthickness and surface area. While surface areas ofsmall bubbles can be determined by an analyticalsolution of a simplified balance of forces, shapes oflarge non-spherical bubbles are calculatednumerically. The determination of the film thicknessis based on a resonance model for bubbleoscillations. For a detailed analysis of the jetdroplet generation, the bubble burst induced jetformation and disintegration is simulated numericallyusing a SOLA-MAC algorithm.     

Effect of Poly(Vinyl Acetate) on Mechanical Properties and Characteristics of Poly(Lactic Acid)/Natural Rubber Blends

Natural rubber grafted with poly(vinyl acetate) copolymer (NR-g-PVAc) was synthesized by emulsion polymerization. Three graft copolymers were prepared with different PVAc contents: 1 % (G1), 5 % (G5) and 12 % (G12). Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was melt blended with natural rubber (NR) and/or NR-g-PVAc in a twin screw extruder. The blends contained 10–20 wt% rubber. The notched Izod impact strength and tensile properties were determined from the compression molded specimens. The effect of NR mastication on the mechanical properties of the PLA/NR/NR-g-PVAc blend was evaluated. Characterization by DMTA and DSC showed an enhancement in miscibility of the PLA/NR-g-PVAc blend. The temperature of the maximum tan δ of the PLA decreased with increasing PVAc content in the graft copolymer, i.e., from 71 °C (pure PLA) to 63 °C (the blend containing 10 % G12). The increase in miscibility brought about a reduction in the rubber particle diameter. These changes were attributed to the enhancement of toughness and ductility of PLA after blending with NR-g-PVAc. Therefore, NR-g-PVAc could be used as a toughening agent of PLA and as a compatibilizer of the PLA/NR blend. NR mastication was an efficient method for increasing the toughness and ductility of the blends which depended on the blend composition and the number of mastications.     

Mechanical and durability properties of insulation mortar with rubber powder from waste tires

Fine rubber particles from scrap tires can be used as an insulation material by incorporating with Portland cement mortar. In addition to thermal properties, there are special mechanical and durability properties that are important for the insulation mortar. The addition of rubber particles has negative impact on these properties. The special properties for insulation mortar can be improved using cellulose ether, redispersible polymer powder (RPP), and wood fiber. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of these additives and the rubber powder on the properties of rubberized insulation mortar. With increasing rubber content, both flexural strength and compressive strength were reduced, but the reduction of flexural strength was not as significant as for the compressive strength. At a fixed rubber content, as the optimal amount of RPP and smaller rubber powder were used, the compressive strength of rubberized mortar satisfied the minimum requirement of the type N mortar. The drying shrinkage of the rubber mortar was about the same as the ordinary cement mortar. The permeability of the rubber mortar was low comparing with that of the ordinary cement mortar. The bond strength of the rubber mortar is low due to the reduced effective bonding surface.     

The Effect of Natural Tree Gum and Environmental Condition on the Degradation of a Typical Automotive Clear Coat

In this work the effects of natural gum and its simulated compound (Arabic gum) on an acrylic based clear coat applied on different basecoats were studied. The experiments were conducted at various aging processes to simulate the real outdoor conditions by the aid of different analytical techniques including optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, DMTA and micro hardness measurements, by which the chemical and mechanical responses of the system were investigated. Results showed that, Arabic and natural gums, due to their sticky nature in the slurry state, can strongly attach to the clear coat surface and perform a significant stress during the drying process. It was shown that, this stress was responsible for the surface cracks produced by gums, indicating a physical degradation mechanism. However, it was revealed that, biological materials could also affect the clear coat chemically. In addition, different surface cracks produced by gums on the clear coat applied on silver and black basecoats were observed and attributed to their surface chemistry and mechanical properties differences. It was shown that different amounts of aluminum flakes existed in the basecoat layers of silver and black system can effectively influence the curing degree of the clear coats applied on the se systems. This leads to different cross-linking density, toughness and surface chemistries. Therefore, different interactions of clear coats and gums, as well as stress distribution and relaxation behaviors of these two systems were found effective in such degradations. Comparison of the mechanical properties and visual effects of gums on clear coats indicated a more severe degradation under the post aging, due to the greater effect of UV light.     

Study on the Effect of Dicumyl Peroxide on Structure and Properties of Poly(Lactic Acid)/Natural Rubber Blend

In attempt to enhance the compatibility of NR in PLA matrix, and furthermore to enhance mechanical properties of PLA, PLA/NR blends with strong interaction were prepared in Haake internal mixer, using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as cross-linker. The effects of dicumyl peroxide on morphology, thermal properties, mechanical properties and rheological properties of PLA and PLA/NR blends were studied. The results indicated that dicumyl peroxide could increase the compatibility of poly(lactic acid) and natural rubber. With small amount of dicumyl peroxide, the effect on NR toughening PLA was enhanced and the tensile toughness of PLA/NR blends was improved. When the DCP content was up to 0.2 wt%, the PLA/NR blend reached the maximum elongation at break (26.21 %) which was 2.5 times of that of neat PLA (the elongation at break of neat PLA was 10.7 %). Meanwhile, with introducing 2 wt% DCP into PLA/NR blend, the maximum Charpy impact strength (7.36 kJ/m²) could be achieved which was 1.8 times of that of neat PLA (4.18 kJ/m²). Moreover, adding adequate amount of DCP could improve the processing properties of blends: the viscosity of PLA/NR blend decreased significantly and the lowest viscosity of the blends could be achieved when the DCP content was 0.5 wt%.     

Biodegradation of Natural Rubber and Natural Rubber Products by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces</Emphasis> sp. Strain CFMR 7

The rubber degrading activity of Streptomyces sp. CFMR 7 whose whole genome sequence was recently determined was tested with non-vulcanized fresh latex and common vulcanized rubber products such as latex glove, latex condom and latex car tyre. The degradation activity was unequivocally demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy with respect to microbial colonization efficiency, disintegration of rubber material and biofilm formation after 3, 6 and 9 months of inoculation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy comprising the attenuated total reflectance analysis on these inoculated products revealed insights into the biodegradation mechanism of this strain whereby, a decrease in the number of cis -1,4 double bonds in the polyisoprene chain, the appearance of ketone and aldehyde groups formation indicating an oxidative attack at the double bond of rubber hydrocarbon. In the presence of strain Streptomyces sp. CFMR 7, gel permeation chromatography analysis revealed a significant shift of the molecular weight distribution to lower values. Clear decrease in the molecular weight was observed over 3, 6 and 9 months of cultivation on fresh latex samples compared to other vulcanized products. No shift in the molecular weight distribution was observed for non-inoculated control. These results clearly showed that Streptomyces sp. CFMR 7 was able to cleave the carbon backbone of poly (cis -1,4-isoprene). Although this strain was able to degrade both non-vulcanized and vulcanized rubber products, faster degradation was obtained with natural rubber and rubber products with low complexity.     

Use of waste rubber as concrete additive.

For resource reutilization, scrap tyres have long been investigated as an additive to concrete to form 'Rubcrete' for various applications and have shown promising results. However, the addition of rubber particles leads to the degradation of physical properties, particularly, the compressive strength of the concrete. In this study, a theoretical model was proposed to shed light on the mechanisms of decrease in compressive strength due to the addition of rubber particles as well as improvement in compressive strength through modification of particle surfaces. The literature suggests that the compressive strength can be improved by soaking the rubber particles in alkaline solution first to increase the inter-phase bonding between the rubber particles and cement. Instead, we discovered that the loss in compressive strength was due to local imperfections in the hydration of cement, induced by the addition of heterogeneous and hydrophobic rubber particles. Microscopic studies showed that the rubber particles disturbed the water transfer to create channels, which were prone to cracking and led to a loss in the compressive strength. Unexpectedly, no cracking was found along the surfaces of the rubber particles, indicating that the bonding strength between the rubber particles and cement phases was not the critical factor in determining the compressive strength. Therefore, a theoretical model was proposed to describe the water transfer in the Rubcrete specimens to explain the experimental data. In the model, the local water available for hydration (Q) is: Q = -A(slv)/6piv, where Q, A(slv), and v are mass flow rate (kg s(-1)), Hamaker constant (J), and dynamic viscosity (m2 s(-1)), respectively. By maximizing the quantity Q and, in turn, the Hamaker constant A(slv), the compressive strength could be improved. The Hamaker constant A(slv) for water film on rubber particle surfaces was smaller than that for the hydrated cement particles; the water transfer rate was lower in the presence of rubber particles because the Hamaker constant A(slv) for water film on rubber particle surfaces was smaller than that on the hydrated cement particles. Thus, the compressive strength of Rubcrete could be improved by increasing the Hamaker constant of the system. This was achieved by increasing the refractive indices of the solids (n(s)). The refractive indices of materials increase with increases in functional groups, such as OH and SH on the surface. The model provided a possible mechanism for the efficacy of treating rubber particles with NaOH in improving the compressive strength. By using NaOH solution treatment, an oxygen-containing OH group was formed on the rubber surface to increase the Hamaker constant of the system, leading to higher compressive strength. Based on this mechanism, a novel method for modification of the rubber particles was also proposed. In this process, the rubber particles were partially oxidized with hot air/steam in a fluidized bed reactor to produce the hydrophilic groups on the surface of the particles. Preliminary results obtained so far are promising in accordance with the theory.