Enhancing performance of rubber mortar and water pollutant capture via fast and facile modification of recycled waste rubber particles

Abstract

A fast, facile and highly efficient approach was developed in this study for the modification of recycled rubber particles (RP) into modified rubber particles (RP-TA-Fe3+). The incorporation of RP-TA-Fe3+ in cement-based materials effectively counteracted the detrimental effects typically associated with rubber. The TA-Fe3+ metal phenolic network proficiently impeded the leaching of heavy metal ions from the modified rubber and also effectively adsorbed cationic pollutants (MB and Cu2+) from water. The experimental results revealed that the rubber mortar containing RP-TA-Fe3+ exhibited reduced porosity and significantly improved flexural and compressive strength compared to the rubber mortar containing RP. Furthermore, the incorporation of RP-TA-Fe3+ into cement-based materials markedly enhanced their adsorption capabilities for MB and Cu2+.