Study on the thermoplastic vulcanizate using ultrasonically treated rubber powder

Nowadays, waste EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) increasingly has been causing significant environmental problems with increasing numbers of vehicles. From the perspective of the environment and economics, recycling is the best method to treat waste materials. This study investigated waste EPDM/PP (polypropylene) blends with waste EPDM. Waste EPDM powders were treated ultrasonically, which physically modifies the rubber particles to confer good mechanical properties. Also investigated were the relevance of the mass percentage of the dispersed phase, the influence of the geometry and rotation speeds of the screw used in extrusion, and the melting temperature of PP materials on the morphology and mechanical properties of the blend. The purpose of this study was to develop a valuable thermoplastic elastomer from waste EPDM. This study concentrated on determining the optimum conditions for producing a blend by extrusion, including parameters of screw geometry, screw rotational speed, and operating temperature. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 2503–2507, 2003