The Influence of UV-Accelerated Aging Process on Industrial Waste Containing EPDM

Abstract

One of the most efficient ways to recycle elastomeric residues from industrial processes is to incorporate them into compositions. The study of these new compositions is interesting in terms of reducing cost, the consumption of raw materials, and the generation of new waste, working towards sustainable development. Thus, this research aimed to produce and characterize elastomeric blends containing one phase comprised of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer rubber (EPDM) industrial waste aged by the action of ultraviolet radiation (UV) in a UV chamber, and the other comprised of raw EPDM, containing different concentrations of residue. Therefore, the mechanical properties and the vulcanization characteristics of the blends containing different concentrations of EPDM residue-aged and un-aged-were analyzed and compared to the properties of a standard formulation (Control). The results showed that the aging of the waste for a period of 156 h did not trigger a severe degradation process. Additionally, its reuse into new compositions promoted improvements of the studied mechanical properties without compromising the vulcanization characteristics due to the higher molecular stiffness of the samples. This procedure can be used to lower costs, but only small amounts of residue can be incorporated into raw rubber without altering the material properties, due to the weak interaction of vulcanized rubber with raw rubber [1,2,5]. Some methods aim to improve this interaction by de-vulcanization. Among the most-studied methods, the ultrasound method uses ultrasound waves to produce cavitation in the rubber, which generates tensions that are able to break the chemical bonds [3,5,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Another de-vulcanization method based on the action of microwaves presents some advantages that make it one of the most promising for the recycling of rubber [2][3][4]13,15,[18][19][20][21][22], including its physical nature, the volumetric heating of the material by the microwaves, and the possibility of high productivity [23].The aging of elastomers can be defined as the degradation process produced by the interaction between a material and an environment, modifying their structure and properties (i.e., mechanical, electrical, chemical, and/or thermal). It is a complex chemical process that occurs under the influence of heat, oxygen, light, ozone, and mechanical tension, and it results in time-dependent modifications of the chemical and physical properties [24]. In elastomeric compositions, the term "aging" is related to molecular scission, which results in smaller chains, a larger number of chain terminals, and/or cross-link formation, which generates a strong linked network structure [16]. UV radiation is one of the most effective means for the degradation of organic materials through photo-oxidation. This radiation causes irreversible chemical modifications that affect the mechanical properties of materials. UV degradation can make materials brittle, lose resistance, and induce color change, affecting the lifetime of ma...

Enhancement of aging resistance ofEPDMrubber by naturalrubber‐g‐N(4‐phenylenediamine) maleimide as a grafted antioxidant

“…Accelerated aging in elastomeric compositions is associated to molecular scission, which results in smaller chains, a greater number of chain terminals, and/or crosslink production, which leads in a highly linked network structure. [1,2] In particular, thermo-oxidative aging and UV radiation are among the most common types of accelerated aging. Thermo-oxidative aging could dramatically deteriorate different properties of rubbery products causing premature failure, which lead to a great waste of industrial rubber products, and environmental pollution that threaten the safety of human beings.…”

“…UV accelerated aging can cause elastomeric materials brittleness, less resistant, and induce color change, affecting the lifetime of elastomeric materials. [ 1 ]…”

“…Accelerated aging in elastomeric compositions is associated to molecular scission, which results in smaller chains, a greater number of chain terminals, and/or crosslink production, which leads in a highly linked network structure. [ 1,2 ]…”

Degradation of Electrical Wire Sheaths By UV Radiation

“…Cables likely to be exposed to UV light should either be designed of the UV resistant materials with a suitable carbon black content, or protected from exposure by a protective covering. It can make materials brittle, degrade their resistance, and induce colour change, thus affecting the lifetime of materials that are exposed to the weather [3].…”

Elastomeric Composites Containing SBR Industrial Scraps Devulcanized by Microwaves: Raw Material, Not a Trash

“…However, the proposed process is advantageous, considering a reduction in costs. In addition, some authors have used the devulcanization process in recycled rubbers before producing composites or polymeric blends to increase the interaction between the phases due to the better dispersion of the recycled rubber particles in the polymeric matrix, which results in a more refined phases morphology and improvements in the mechanical properties [13,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22].…”