Morphological, mechanical, and physical properties of ground rubber tire thermoplastic elastomer/rubberwood sawdust composites: Effects of composition contents and rubber types

Abstract

Waste tire disposal is a growing challenge among major cities worldwide because each year, a huge number of end-of-life tires is generated. The current study aimed to evaluate the potential of ground rubber tire (GRT) and waste rubberwood sawdust (RWS) as materials for developing wood-polymer composites (WPCs). The effects of the compositions’ contents and rubber types on the mechanical and physical properties, as well as the morphology of the thermoplastic elastomer (TPE)/RWS composites were investigated. The results revealed that the addition of about 30–60 wt% of RWS improved the modulus of elasticity, compressive modulus, and hardness of the TPE composites based on both the GRT and natural rubber (NR). With the same RWS content and rubber type, the TPE/RWS composites with rubber/plastic blends of a 30/70 ratio clearly yielded better mechanical and physical properties than those blends with a 40/60 ratio. The addition of about 2–4 wt% of maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP) improved all the properties of the TPE/RWS composites. Overall, the composites based on the GRT gave superior strength, rigidity, and dimensional stability than that based on NR. It is therefore suggested that the eco-friendly TPE composites made from GRT and waste rubberwood could be a suitable replacement for the inorganic filler-natural rubber composites for saving costs and the environment.