Fazli Ali, Rodrigue Denis
Department of Department of Chemical Engineering, Université Laval, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
Materials (Basel). 2020 Feb 8;13(3):782. doi: 10.3390/ma13030782.
Currently, plastics and rubbers are broadly being used to produce a wide range of products for several applications like automotive, building and construction, material handling, packaging, toys, etc. However, their waste (materials after their end of life) do not degrade and remain for a long period of time in the environment. The increase of polymeric waste materials' generation (plastics and rubbers) in the world led to the need to develop suitable methods to reuse these waste materials and decrease their negative effects by simple disposal into the environment. Combustion and landfilling as traditional methods of polymer waste elimination have several disadvantages such as the formation of dust, fumes, and toxic gases in the air, as well as pollution of underground water resources. From the point of energy consumption and environmental issues, polymer recycling is the most efficient way to manage these waste materials. In the case of rubber recycling, the waste rubber can go through size reduction, and the resulting powders can be melt blended with thermoplastic resins to produce thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compounds. TPE are multi-functional polymeric materials combining the processability of thermoplastics and the elasticity of rubbers. However, these materials show poor mechanical performance as a result of the incompatibility and immiscibility of most polymer blends. Therefore, the main problem associated with TPE production from recycled materials via melt blending is the low affinity and interaction between the thermoplastic matrix and the crosslinked rubber. This leads to phase separation and weak adhesion between both phases. In this review, the latest developments related to recycled rubbers in TPE are presented, as well as the different compatibilisation methods used to improve the adhesion between waste rubbers and thermoplastic resins. Finally, a conclusion on the current situation is provided with openings for future works.
目前，塑料和橡胶被广泛用于生产各种产品，应用于汽车、建筑、物料搬运、包装、玩具等多个领域。然而，它们的废弃物（使用寿命结束后的材料）不会降解，会在环境中长时间留存。全球聚合物废料（塑料和橡胶）产量的增加，使得有必要开发合适的方法来再利用这些废料，并通过简单地排入环境来减少它们的负面影响。作为聚合物废料处理的传统方法，燃烧和填埋存在诸多缺点，比如会在空气中形成灰尘、烟雾和有毒气体，以及污染地下水资源。从能源消耗和环境问题的角度来看，聚合物回收是管理这些废料最有效的方式。在橡胶回收方面，废旧橡胶可以进行粉碎，所得粉末可与热塑性树脂熔融共混以生产热塑性弹性体（TPE）复合材料。TPE是一种多功能聚合物材料，兼具热塑性塑料的加工性能和橡胶的弹性。然而，由于大多数聚合物共混物的不相容性和不混溶性，这些材料的机械性能较差。因此，通过熔融共混由回收材料生产TPE的主要问题在于热塑性基体与交联橡胶之间的亲和力和相互作用较低。这会导致两相分离以及两相之间的粘附力较弱。在这篇综述中，介绍了与TPE中回收橡胶相关的最新进展，以及用于改善废旧橡胶与热塑性树脂之间粘附力的不同增容方法。最后，给出了关于当前形势的结论以及对未来工作的展望。
