Recycled tires shreds based polyurethane binder: Production and characterization

End-of-life tires are known to have negative economic and environmental impacts due to their difficult disposal and recycling. Thus, the use of recycled waste tire rubber particles mixed with an elastomeric polyurethane resin dyed in the mass has emerged as a potentially sustainable solution to this environmental issue. Indeed, they can be used for the manufacture of damping tiles for playgrounds and sports fields, which limit the risks associated with falling. This is a product that interests town halls, businesses and individuals. In this study, the recycled waste tire rubber particles and their fibers byproducts are introduced into a new binder based on commercial polyurethane adhesive (Vinyprene P2006) blended with a polyisocyanate hardener to elaborate a low-cost composite. Also, halogenation is proposed as a surface modification to improve the interfacial adhesion between the binder and the particles. The samples were produced with two densities and characterized using SEM and FTIR, as well as bonding, compression, relaxation and residual deformation. The results show that the chemical treatment increased the rubber surface roughness which improved the binder ability, and on the other hand, the rubber composites exhibit higher compression properties than the rubber mixed the fiber by product composites.