Rapra to commercialise de-vulcanisation process

ERJ staff report (DS)

Shropshire, UK -- Smithers Rapra is commercialising a new technology for de-vulcanising scrap rubber. The technology was developed in a three-year programme by members of the DevulCO₂ consortium. These include Smithers Rapra, PJH Partnership, Martins Rubber Company, BD Technical Polymer, J. Allcock & Sons, and Charles Lawrence International.

Smithers Rapra said, "The project successfully surpassed its aims of developing a novel, effective and commercially competitive devulcanisation system for waste tyre rubber, and to evaluate the devulcanised rubber manufacturing a variety of general rubber goods." The research company added, "Physical testing results conducted by Smithers Rapra on products manufactured from 100% of the devulcanised rubber showed tensile strength values in excess of 18 MPa combined with an elongation at break of 350 percent. The process is capable of recovering up to 80 percent of the physical properties of original virgin compounds."

The technology is now ready to be scaled up to commercial levels of production. Smithers Rapra said the process does not present any additional health and safety or environmental concerns, and the process is extremely cost-effective. The consortium is now able to take the products to market.

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Press release from Smithers Rapra

Website of DevulCO₂

Email Jenny Cooper at Rapra for further details: jcooper@rapra.net