Natural rubber

Bond cleavage

Catalysis

Polymer chemistry

Reactivity (psychology)

Vulcanization

Metallurgy

Materials science

Chain scission

Biochemistry

Polymer

Alternative medicine

Organic chemistry

Copolymer

Peroxide

Ethylene propylene rubber

EPDM rubber

Composite material

Organic peroxide

Ethylene

Sulfur

Medicine

Chemistry

Disulfide bond

Pathology

Rubber Chemistry and Technology

The thermochemical recycling of natural rubber (NR) and ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) vulcanizates with disulfides was studied. NR sulfur vulcanizates were completely plasticized when heated with diphenyldisulfide at 200 °C. It could be concluded that both main chain scission and crosslink scission caused the network breakdown. NR peroxide vulcanizates were less reactive towards disulfide at 200 °C, and only reacted through main chain scission. For EPDM a temperature range of 200–275 °C was studied. In the presence of diphenyldisulfide at 200 °C there was almost no devulcanization of EPDM sulfur vulcanizates, and at 225 and 250 °C there was only slightly more devulcanization. A decrease in crosslink density of 90% was found when 2×10−4 mol diphenyldisulfide/cm3 vulcanizate was added and the EPDM sulfur vulcanizates were heated to 275 °C. EPDM peroxide vulcanizates showed a decrease in crosslink density of ca. 40% under the same conditions. The lower reactivity of EPDM towards disulfide compared with NR is the result of higher crosslink densities, the presence of a higher percentage of more stable monosulfidic crosslinks and the fact that EPDM is less apt to main chain scission relative to NR.

Mechanisms Involved in the Recycling of NR and EPDM