Structural, Thermal and Mechanical Assessment of Green Compounds with Natural Rubber

The inadequate disposal of tires poses a significant threat to human health and requires effective recycling solutions. The crosslinked structure of rubber, formed through sulfur bridges during vulcanization, presents a major challenge for recycling because it prevents the rubber scraps from being reshaped thermoplastically. Reclaiming or devulcanization aims to reverse this crosslinking, allowing waste rubber to be transformed into products that can be reprocessed and revulcanized, thereby saving costs and preserving resources. Microwave technology shows promise for devulcanization due to its ability to break sulfur crosslinks. In this study, we investigate the devulcanization of ground tire rubber (GTR) through a combined process applied to samples from both car and truck tires subjected to varying periods of microwave irradiation (0, 3, 5 and 10 min). The devulcanized GTR was then blended with natural rubber (NR) and underwent a new vulcanization process, simulating recycling for novel applications. The GTR was mixed with NR in proportions of 0, 10, 30 and 50 parts per hundred rubber (phr). This study also examines the differences between the GTR from car tires and GTR from truck tires. The results showed that the treatment effectively breaks the crosslinks in the GTR, creating double bonds (C=C) and improving the mechanical properties of the revulcanized samples. The crosslinking density and related properties of the samples increased with treatment time, reaching a maximum at 5 min of microwave treatment, followed by a decrease at 10 min. Additionally, the incorporation of GTR enhanced the thermal stability of the resulting materials.