Degradación y reciclaje de elastómerosfundamentos estructurales y aplicaciones

Abstract

The worldwide consumption of elastomers exceeds 26 million tons, with a natural rubber share of close to 45%, the other remaining corresponds to synthetic rubbers. Much of this production goes to the manufacture of tires, where natural rubber (NR) and butadiene (BR) are essential matrices. In this sense, the elastomers of NR and BR can be considered as the most representative within the science and technology of elastomers not only for their individual consumption, but also because their chemical structure is found in a large number of elastomers such as rubber. Synthetic polyisoprene (IR), styrene-butadiene (SBR) copolymers, nitrile rubbers (NBR or butadiene acrylonitrile copolymers), etc. Its use is so widespread in the industry due to its unique elastic properties, the production of tires for the transport sector being one of the most representative industries. All thanks to a three-dimensional polymer network obtained through the formation of cross-linking between the rubber chains during the vulcanization process, which allows very extensive recoveries even though large deformations are applied thereto. This industrial advantage in terms of properties and applications of unique materials is at the same time a serious drawback in the treatment of the wastes from its processing and the rubber products once they have finished their useful life. The market is faced with the problem of treating consumer waste with high stability, which do not decompose easily and for which large amounts of energy have been used in its manufacture. The energy and economic balance forces the industry to search for strategies that allow the maximum use of the materials once they are exhausted...