A method for producing devulcanized rubber and an apparatus (100) therefor. The method for producing devulcanized rubber comprises the steps of (1) providing vulcanized rubber particles with a pre-determined particle size and (2) devulcanizing the vulcanized rubber particles. The vulcanized rubber particles are devulcanized mechanically by impact forces and devulcanized chemically by a chemical composition. The impact forces break sulphur-sulphur and sulphur-carbon bonds of the vulcanized rubber particles causing surfaces of the rubber to become receptive in reacting with the chemical composition and the chemical composition renders the sulphur passive to prevent reattachment of the bonds, of which the chemical composition comprises at least one accelerator, at least one inorganic activator and at least one organic activator.

Provided are modified plant fibers suitable for addition to rubber; an additive for rubber comprising the modified plant fibers which can be micronized and dispersed easily and highly when adding to rubber; a method of preparing the additive for rubber; and a rubber composition comprising the additive for rubber. Modified plant fibers (A) in which plant fibers (a) and a modified synthetic rubber (B) are covalently bonded wherein the ratio of the modified synthetic rubber (B) relative to 100 parts by weight of the plant fibers (a) is 5 to 100 parts by weight. An additive for rubber comprising 20 to 75 weight % of the modified plant fibers (A) according to claim 1 and 25 to 80 weight % of a processing agent for rubber (C), wherein the number average molecular weight of the processing agent for rubber (C) is 400 to 60,000, and the glass transition point of the processing agent for rubber (C) is 100 C. or less, and wherein the additive for rubber includes plant fibers in the ratio of 10 to 65 weight %.

A single-screw extrusion desulfurization and post-processing system and a method for preparing reclaimed rubber. The single-screw extrusion desulfurization and post-processing system comprises: a single-screw desulfurization device, a single-screw post-processing device and a closed connection device for connecting the single-screw desulfurization device and the single-screw post-processing device, the single-screw post-processing device includes a post-processing feeding unit and a post-processing unit which are connected with each other, and a post-processing screw running through the post-processing feeding unit and the post-processing unit.

A process for producing an environmentally-friendly plasticizer, which is particularly suitable for use in vehicle tires or technical rubber articles. A vulcanized and/or unvulcanized polymer material of a high molecular weight is converted into a low-molecular phase by direct thermal liquefaction. The vulcanized and/or unvulcanized high-molecular-weight polymer material is provided as a polymer powder and/or a granulated polymer and can be obtained from used tires.

In an example, a process includes polymerizing a mixture that includes an ethylene monomer, a propylene monomer, and a diene monomer to form an ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) terpolymer using ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The process further includes chemically reacting the EPDM terpolymer with a norbornene-based phosphinate cross-linking material to form a flame-retardant, cross-linked EPDM rubber.

Method of devulcanizing rubber and/or elastomers without the need for a chemical agent, in which method the vulcanized rubber and/or elastomers are fed into a planetary roller extruder, which planetary roller extruder has a housing, a central spindle, and at least one group of planetary spindles. Mechanical and thermal stress is generated on the vulcanized rubber and/or elastomers by kneading and/or crushing the vulcanized rubber and/or elastomers using the central spindle and the planetary spindles. The mechanical and thermal stress alone is sufficient to break or destroy the molecular chains or bonds of the vulcanized rubber and/or elastomers.

A thermoplastic elastomer composition obtained by dynamically crosslinking an ethylene/-olefin/non-conjugated polymer copolymer (A), a polyolefin resin (B), a softener (C) in an amount of 1 to 200 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the total of the copolymer (A) and the resin (B), and a crosslinking agent (D) by the use of a batch mixer under the conditions satisfying the requirements (1) to (4).

In the present technology, a thermally expandable microcapsule complex is blended in a rubber component, the thermally expandable microcapsule complex being obtained by preparing an aqueous solution of a water-soluble polymer having a concentration of 1 to 30 mass %, adding from 5 to 60 parts by mass of cellulose fibers to 100 parts by mass of the aqueous solution to prepare a liquid dispersion (1), adding from 10 to 200 parts by mass of thermally expandable microcapsules to the liquid dispersion (1) to prepare a liquid dispersion (2), and evaporating the moisture content of the liquid dispersion (2).

A thermoplastic copolymer is made by first de-vulcanizing a sulfur-crosslinked elastomeric material to produce a liquid phase component. The liquid phase component is subsequently mixed with a compatible thermoplastic polymer at a temperature above its melting point thereof, and the resulting mixture is cooled to produce a solid product.

A method is provided for preparing a reprocessed rubber from thermoset rubber particles. The method includes providing a plurality of thermoset rubber particles, inducing dynamic swelling and dynamic compatibilization of the plurality of rubber particles, admixing at least one de-linking agent with the swelled and wetted rubber particles, and wherein the step of admixing the at least one de-linking agent is carried out under thermo-mechanical mixing.