Investigating effect of chrome tanned leather scraps in ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber.

Nowadays, amount of chrome tanned leather scraps (CTL) of leather industry is increasing rapidly due to decreasing interest on CTL utilization in related areas. These kind of wastes cause considerable negative environmental effects and therefore CTL producers should find new recycling and/or disposing routes for them. It is speculated that CTL may be a valuable additive in rubber based materials thanks to its similar bending properties. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate rheological, thermal, mechanical, morphological, and aging properties of CTL loaded EPDM based rubber compounds. CTL wastes are incorporated into EPDM in various ratios by using a banbury mixer and two roll mill, subsequently. Rheological measurements show that CTL incorporation does not cause considerable losses in compound properties. Higher glass transition temperatures of CTL containing composites are attributed to restricted chain mobility of EPDM in the composites. Cheap CTL incorporation significantly improves the tear resistance of EPDM before and after thermal aging due to fibrous nature of leather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]