In today's era of increasingly scarce resources and growing environmental awareness, recycled rubber, as a key product for the recycling and reuse of waste rubber, is gradually emerging and playing an irreplaceable and important role in many fields. It not only effectively alleviates the dilemma of rubber resource shortage, but also makes great contributions to environmental protection, becoming an important part of achieving sustainable development.
The dilemma of waste rubber and the birth of recycled rubber
With the rapid development of the global automotive and rubber products industries, the amount of waste rubber produced is increasing day by day. A large amount of waste tires and rubber products are piled up like mountains, occupying valuable land resources and difficult to degrade naturally. Long term outdoor storage of waste rubber is prone to breeding mosquitoes and bacteria, and there is also a risk of spontaneous combustion. In history, countries such as the United States and Japan have been deeply affected by "black pollution", causing serious losses due to excessive fires caused by the accumulation of waste tires. However, waste rubber is not worthless garbage, it is actually a "treasure" that urgently needs to be developed. According to calculations, waste tires contain 22% -24% synthetic fibers such as nylon, which can be processed into plastic products; 16% -24% of steel wire is the raw material for high-quality springs; 58% -60% of rubber mixture can be used to produce recycled rubber and rubber powder, which are widely used in rubber products, building materials, road construction and many other fields. Regenerated rubber emerged in this context. It uses vulcanized rubber powder made from waste rubber products as raw material, and with the participation of rejuvenators, it regains properties similar to raw rubber, becoming a valuable renewable energy source and opening a new chapter in the "turning waste into treasure" of waste rubber.
Recycling process: turning decay into magic
Collect and classify
The journey of recycling recycled rubber begins with extensive collection. Tire retailers, car repair shops, and waste recycling stations have become the main sources of waste rubber. After these waste rubbers are collected, they will be carefully classified based on factors such as material, type, and size. Different types of rubbers will be processed differently to ensure efficient and targeted recycling. For example, large tires are separated from small rubber products, and natural rubber and synthetic rubber are also classified separately.
pretreatment
The classified waste rubber needs to be pre treated to remove surface impurities, metals, fibers, etc. Common preprocessing methods include mechanical cleaning, magnetic separation, shearing and crushing, etc. Mechanical cleaning can remove dirt and mud from the surface of rubber; Magnetic separation can accurately separate metals such as steel wires from it; Shear crushing breaks down large pieces of rubber into smaller pieces that are easier to process, preparing for further processing.
Desulfurization regeneration
Desulfurization regeneration is the core process of regenerated rubber production. By the action of heat, mechanical force, chemical reagents, etc., the network structure of vulcanized cross-linked waste rubber is broken, restoring some plasticity and elasticity. The traditional oil and water oil processes have gradually been eliminated due to their high pollution and energy consumption. Nowadays, China's independently developed "dynamic desulfurization" new process technology is in a leading position internationally. This process is carried out in a closed environment, utilizing the synergistic effect of high temperature, high pressure, and mechanical stirring to efficiently remove sulfur, significantly reducing pollutant emissions, and improving the quality and production efficiency of recycled rubber.
Refined processing
The desulfurized rubber still needs to be refined and processed to remove particles and impurities that have not been completely desulfurized, adjust its physical properties to meet the requirements of different application fields. This process includes processes such as mixing, filtering, and granulation. Add appropriate additives such as vulcanizing agents, accelerators, and reinforcing agents during mixing to enhance the strength, wear resistance, and other properties of recycled rubber; Filtering can ensure that impurities in rubber are thoroughly removed; Granulation transforms refined rubber into granular products that are easy to store, transport, and use.
Application areas: Diversified expansion to showcase skills
Rubber products industry
Recycled rubber is widely used in the production of rubber products. It can partially replace natural rubber or synthetic rubber and is used to manufacture products such as tires, hoses, tapes, seals, shoe soles, etc. In tire manufacturing, adding an appropriate amount of recycled rubber can reduce production costs while improving the tire's wet skid resistance and wear resistance; In the production of shoe soles, recycled rubber endows the soles with good elasticity and slip resistance, and has a significant cost advantage, making rubber products more competitive in the market while ensuring quality.
Building materials field
In the field of building materials, recycled rubber also has great potential. Rubber particles can be mixed with cement, asphalt, etc. to produce rubber modified asphalt for road paving, which can significantly improve the flexibility, fatigue resistance, and skid resistance of the road surface, extend the service life of the road, and reduce maintenance costs; It can also be used to produce building materials such as rubber floor tiles and rubber soundproof panels. Rubber floor tiles have good shock absorption, slip resistance, and wear resistance, and are commonly used in places such as gyms, kindergartens, outdoor walkways, etc; Rubber soundproof panels can effectively block sound propagation and improve indoor acoustic environment.
Sports Facilities
Regenerated rubber has brought new vitality to the construction of sports facilities. The rubber particles filled with artificial turf provide a soft foot feel, effectively reducing the risk of injury for athletes during exercise, while enhancing the elasticity and stability of the turf; Rubber running tracks have become the preferred choice for schools, sports fields, and other places due to their excellent resilience, wear resistance, and slip resistance, providing a comfortable and safe sports field for running enthusiasts.
Facing challenges and solutions
Incomplete recycling system
At present, the recycling network for waste rubber has not been fully covered, the recycling channels are scattered, and there is a lack of unified norms and management, resulting in some waste rubber being unable to be effectively recycled and utilized. To address this issue, the government should strengthen policy guidance, encourage the establishment of professional waste rubber recycling enterprises, and build a comprehensive recycling network system; At the same time, increase publicity efforts, raise public awareness of the importance of recycling waste rubber, and guide consumers to actively participate in recycling actions.
Insufficient technological innovation
Although some progress has been made in the technology of recycled rubber, there are still some technical bottlenecks, such as the gap between the performance of recycled rubber and native rubber, and some high-end application fields are difficult to meet the demand; Some advanced recycling technologies and equipment have high costs, which limits their promotion and application. In this regard, research institutions and enterprises should increase their R&D investment, carry out industry university research cooperation, jointly overcome technical difficulties, and develop high-performance and low-cost production technologies and equipment for recycled rubber; In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the research and development of quality standards for recycled rubber products, promote industry technological progress and product quality improvement.
Market recognition needs to be improved
Due to some consumers' doubts about the performance and quality of recycled rubber products, the promotion of recycled rubber products in the market faces certain obstacles. To enhance market recognition, enterprises should strengthen brand building, produce high-quality recycled rubber products through strict quality control, and actively carry out product promotion activities to popularize the advantages and characteristics of recycled rubber products to consumers; Industry associations should also play a bridging role, strengthen communication and exchange with consumers, and enhance public awareness and trust in recycled rubber products.
Future outlook: broad prospects, long road ahead
With the increasing global attention to sustainable development, the recycled rubber industry has ushered in unprecedented development opportunities. On the one hand, with the continuous innovation and breakthroughs in technology, the performance of recycled rubber will continue to improve, and its application fields will also be further expanded, with the potential to achieve more applications in high-end fields such as aerospace and electronics; On the other hand, governments around the world continue to increase their policy support for the environmental protection industry, which will provide solid guarantees for the development of the recycled rubber industry. However, to achieve sustainable development in the recycled rubber industry, it still requires joint efforts from the government, enterprises, research institutions, and all sectors of society. The government should continue to improve relevant policies and regulations, and increase support for the recycled rubber industry; Enterprises should continuously strengthen technological innovation, improve product quality and market competitiveness; Research institutions need to continue conducting cutting-edge technology research to provide technical support for industry development; The general public should also enhance their environmental awareness and actively support and participate in the recycling and reuse of waste rubber. I believe that with the joint promotion of all parties, the green industry of recycled rubber will usher in a more brilliant tomorrow, making greater contributions to protecting the earth's environment and achieving sustainable resource utilization. Regenerated rubber is walking on a green development path full of hope and challenges. Every step it takes will add a bright green to our planet.