Properties of Rubber Compounds Devulcanized Using HSM Technology

The rising price of oil and a fundamental shortage of natural rubber continue to drive rubber compound prices to record levels.  Manufacturers must find greater efficiencies in production operations.  One method is to recover and reuse the in-process scrap which, depending on the production method, can constitute up to 40% of the rubber processed.

The Watson Brown HSM process has demonstrated the ability to devulcanize scrap rubber without the addition of chemicals or heat and return the compound to its original unvulcanized state.

This paper will report on the current status of the Watson Brown commercial operations in Germany and Canada.  Material property results comparing HSM processed materials and the original material will be shown.  The effect on physical properties of recombining HSM processed materials in different amounts with the virgin compound will also be presented.