A method for synthesising polymers through devulcanisation from waste containing elastomers, the method including: —a) contacting the waste containing elastomers with a solvent in the presence of a devulcanisation agent, b) heating the mixture produced in step a), at a temperature of between 20° C. and 250° C. for a period of between 15 minutes and 24 hours in the presence of a devulcanisation agent, the concentration of devulcanisation agent, and the ratio between the concentration of devulcanisation agent, expressed as parts per hundred of elastomer (phr) and a volume of solvent, expressed in ml, is: greater than 0.3 phr/ml of solvent or less than 0.2 phr/ml of solvent when the method is carried out in air, greater than 0.06 phr/ml of solvent when the method is carried out in an inert atmosphere.

The invention relates to a new Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans strain as well as a process for bacterially devulcanizing sulphur-vulcanized rubber particles and devulcanized rubber particles obtainable by said process.

A desulfurized rubber obtained by mixing a desulfurization agent and a vulcanized rubber, the desulfurization agent containing a compound represented by any one of the following formulae (1) to (4):

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wherein R.sub.1 to R.sub.8 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an oxygen atom, or an alkyl group. It is preferable that the desulfurization agent contains at least one selected from the group consisting of 2,2′-dithiodianiline and 4,4′-dithiodianiline.

A method of combining rubbers and plastics when injection molding, and compositions usable in injection molding, are shown and described. Comminuted rubber from waste tires and waste plastics including any of high density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polypropylene are combined and heated to melt at least the plastics. In one optional approach, both are melted. Plastics comprise from twenty to eighty percent by weight of the mixture, with rubber accounting for the balance. The mixture may be fortified with bonding, compatibilizing, and strengthening agents. The compositions may be cooled and pelletized for immediate use in injection operations.

Crumb rubber obtained from recycled tires is subjected to an interlinked substitution process. The process utilizes a reactive component that interferes with sulfur bonds. The resulting treated rubber exhibits properties similar to those of the virgin composite rubber structure prior to being granulated, and is suitable for use in fabricating new tires, engineered rubber articles, and asphalt rubber for use in waterproofing and paving applications.

Preparing a microbially desulfurized crumb rubber includes combining microorganisms capable of breaking crosslinked sulfur bonds, sulfur-containing crumb rubber, and a salt solution to yield a mixture; combining a buffer with the mixture to yield a buffered mixture, thereby adjusting a pH of the mixture; providing oxygen to the buffered mixture; incubating the buffered mixture for a length of time to yield a microbially desulfurized mixture; combining the microbially desulfurized mixture with bitumen to yield a precursor; and heating the precursor to yield the microbially desulfurized crumb rubber. The microbially desulfurized crumb rubber can be combined with bitumen to yield a modified bitumen. The modified bitumen can be combined with asphalt to yield a modified asphalt.

The present application provides a low-temperature process to reduce S—S and/or S—H bonds in organic compounds, including sulfur-cured elastomers, which for example, permits the de-crosslinking of the elastomer and recovery of organic polymers from inorganic constituents.

The invention relates to a pyrolysis method and reactor for recovering at least one component from a carbon based material using thermal decomposition. The carbon based material is delivered to a pyrolytic chamber (1), exposed to a controlled atmosphere and heated to a decomposition temperature of the at least one component in the pyrolytic chamber (1) by microwave radiation. A variable power microwave radiation at frequencies between 300 MHz and 2200 MHZ is applied to sequentially increase a temperature in the pyrolytic chamber (1) over a temperature range including the decomposition temperature of the at least one component.

An embodiment provides a method for recycling tires, including: injecting, using a pump, a rubber material into a dissociating system, wherein the pump exerts a mechanical force upon the rubber material to reduce a size of the rubber material; within the dissociating system, creating a rubber material mixture, by: injecting a supercritical fluid to be mixed with the rubber material; heating, using a heat source, the rubber material mixture; and atomizing the rubber material mixture; and sending the resulting atomized rubber material mixture to a separating system to separate the rubber material mixture into different components. Other aspects are described and claimed.

A first method for generating a solubilized tire rubber bitumen compound is described. The first method begins by heating a first bitumen compound and a tire rubber compound to generate a bitumen wetted tire rubber mixture. The method includes adding a second bitumen compound to the bitumen wetted tire rubber mixture to generate a fully wetted tire rubber bitumen mixture. The method then proceeds to generate a devulcanized fully wetted tire rubber bitumen mixture, which is heated with mixing to between 500° F. and 700° F. to generate the solubilized tire rubber bitumen compound. Additionally, a second method for generating a solubilized tire rubber bitumen compound is described. The second method includes heating a first bitumen compound and a tire rubber compound to generate a devulcanized tire rubber bitumen mixture. The devulcanized tire rubber bitumen mixture is heated to generate a bitumen wetted devulcanized tire rubber mixture. Then, a second bitumen compound is added to generate a fully wetted devulcanized tire rubber bitumen mixture, which is heated to between 500° F. and 700° F. to generate the solubilized tire rubber bitumen compound.