MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE RECYCLING OF NR AND EPDM

The thermochemical recycling of natural rubber (NR) and ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (LPDM) vulcanizates with disulfides was scudietl. NR sulfur vulcanizates were completely plasticized when heated with diphenyldisulfide at 200 °C. It could be concluded that both main chain scission and crosslink scission caused the network breakdown, NR peroxide vulcanizate.s were less reactive towards disulfide at 200 °C, and only reacted through main chain scission. For EPDM a temperature range of 200-275 °C was studied. In the presence of diphenyidisulfide at 200 °C there was almost no devulcanization of EPDM sulfur vulcanizates, and at 225 and 250 °C there was only slightly more devulcanization.. A decrease in crosslink density of 90% was found when 2*10 ^4 mol diphenyldisulfide/cm^ 3 vulcanizate was added and the EPDM sulfur vulcanizates were heated lo 275 C. EPDM peroxide vulcanizates showed a decrease in crosslink density of ca. 40%ʹ under the same conditions. The lower reactivity of EPDM towards disulfide compared with NR is the result of higher crosslink densities, the presence of a higher percentage of more stable monosulfidic crosslinks and the fact that EPDM is less apt lo main chain scission relative to NR.