Butyl reclaimed rubber is made from old butyl inner tubes through processes like crushing, desulfurization, and refining. It retains the basic properties of butyl rubber, featuring good airtightness, heat resistance, chemical stability, and damping performance. It can replace expensive virgin butyl rubber in the production of rubber products, effectively reducing raw material costs. So how should butyl reclaimed rubber be blended in rubber production? Which rubber products can use it?
1. Ways to use butyl reclaimed rubber in rubber products
In actual production, butyl reclaimed rubber can be used alone as the main rubber or blended with butyl rubber, natural rubber, or chlorobutyl rubber.
(1) Using only butyl reclaimed rubber to produce rubber products
Butyl reclaimed rubber is much cheaper than butyl rubber and can fully replace virgin butyl rubber in making rubber products, effectively lowering material costs. Examples include bicycle inner tubes, rubber shock pads, damping sheets, gaskets, sealing rings, sealing fillers, and waterproof materials.
(2) Blending butyl reclaimed rubber with butyl rubber or chlorobutyl rubber to produce rubber products
Butyl reclaimed rubber can be mixed with butyl rubber or chlorobutyl rubber in any proportion to make rubber products, significantly reducing formulation costs without noticeably reducing product performance. Using reclaimed rubber can also help address problems in virgin rubber like cold flow, high shrinkage, and slow vulcanization. Since butyl reclaimed rubber contains residual vulcanizing agents and carbon black, adjustments in sulfur, accelerators, and reinforcing agents may be needed in the rubber recipe.
(3) Combining butyl reclaimed rubber with other rubbers to improve product performance
Butyl reclaimed rubber can be blended with EPDM to produce waterproof membranes or automotive sealing strips, enhancing EPDM’s airtightness and self-adhesion, while lowering overall costs. Small amounts of butyl reclaimed rubber in products primarily made of natural rubber or polybutadiene rubber can further improve heat resistance and aging performance.
2. Typical applications of butyl reclaimed rubber in rubber products
Butyl reclaimed rubber is mainly used in rubber inner tubes, sealing strips, sealing rings, waterproof membranes, water-stopping materials, and some shock-absorbing and soundproofing rubber products. For inner tubes, key factors are airtightness, flexibility, and heat aging resistance, so reclaimed rubber is usually used with butyl rubber. Waterproof membranes focus on water resistance, adhesion, aging resistance, and compatibility with the curing system. For general industrial sealing products, the blending ratio can be adjusted based on hardness, tensile strength, compression set, etc.
Note that not all rubber sealing products are suitable for using butyl reclaimed rubber. Products requiring oil or fuel resistance should choose the rubber base according to the specific medium and not just add reclaimed rubber because it’s cheap.
When producing rubber products with butyl reclaimed rubber, it’s common to blend it with butyl rubber. The butyl rubber ensures basic performance while reclaimed rubber provides part of the volume, reducing costs. The higher the product’s performance requirements, the stricter the quality stability required for the reclaimed rubber. When designing formulations with reclaimed rubber, attention should also be paid to its Mooney viscosity, ash content, volatiles, softener content, curing characteristics, and overall quality stability.
Exclusive original article [commercial authorization] reprint, excerpt and excerpt in any form are prohibited without written authorization. Focus on Hongyun rubber: learn the process formula and raw material technology of producing rubber products from recycled rubber to help you reduce costs and increase profits