Polymer Composite Based on Natural Rubber and Functionalized Rubber Waste

Abstract

In this work, biodegradable polymer composites were made based on natural rubber and post-consumer vulcanized rubber waste functionalized with potassium oleate, in various proportions (5, 10, 20, 30, 50%), cryogenically ground to dimensions of min. 500 nm and polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride as compatibilizer between the two phases. This composite will be made into a low-density product, with low cost, and last but not least, biodegradable, with the recovery and reuse of waste, containing post-consumer polymers. The methodology for making the new materials involves the following steps: sorting waste, grinding, functionalization and compounding. These operations are easy to manage and do not involve new equipment. Compounding, the most important operation, is carried out on a roller and the mixtures are processed into finished products by compression in an electric press. The tested biodegradable composites were structurally and physico-mechanically characterized. Waste transformation (ground and functionalized) into new value-added products will lead to remarkable improvements in the life cycle of raw materials and the sustainable use of this waste, contributing to sustainability, improving eco-efficiency and economic efficiency and reducing the “pressure” of waste on the environment.