• Clean Technology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.180-185
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• 2009

The ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM) scrap generated from automobile weatherstrip manufacturing process was used to make a thermoplastic elastomer through blending with polypropylene. The surface activated EPDM powder was obtained by the high temperature and shear pulverizer. The addition of surfactant resulted in more surface activated EPDM powder and the optimum loading amounts of surfactant was 1.5 phr. Maleic anhydride was grafted onto polypropylene by reactive blending to give functionalized polypropylene. The wetting property between EPDM scrap and polypropylene was improved by the addition of poly (ethylene-co-acrylic acid) as a compatibilizing agent. Poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) decreased the surface tension of polypropylene and thus would contribute to the wettability with EPDM powder.

• Clean Technology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.172-179
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• 2009

The thermoplastic polyurethane waste (TPU-S) with good tensile properties, hardness, NBS abrasion resistance, specific gravity and low wet coefficient of kinetic friction was melt-blended with ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) with high wet slip resistance and low mechanical properties to form EPDM/TPU-S blend films, and their composition-property relationship was investigated to find the optimum composition for shoe outsole material. The properties except the wet slip resistance increased with increasing TPU-S contents in the blend. All the properties except elongation at break, specific gravity and the wet coefficient of kinetic friction in the range of $0{\sim}65\;wt%$ of TPU-S did not attain the values predicted by the simple additive rule. The optimum weight ratio of EPDM/TPU-S for the application to the typical shoe outsole material was found to be 30/70.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.249-258
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• 2007

In this study, the EPDM powder which was surface activated by high temperature and shear pulverization process was prepared and the mechanical properties and odor material analysis were investigated. Analysis for particle size and size distribution of waste of the EPDM powder has been performed. The waste EPDMs used in this study were 4 types of solid, sponge, solid+sponge, and solid+metal. According to the results, the solid type showed the smallest particle size among the 4 types of EPDM powder. Effective surface devulcanization of EPDM powder could be obtained by the addition of the reclaiming agent. The dicumyl peroxide was considered as the best crosslink agent for dynamic vulcanization when the surface activated EPDM powder was blended with polyolefin in order to make TPE. Also, the optimum amounts of DCP was 6 phr in terms of surface crosslink reaction and mechanical properties of EPDM powder. The processes of water adsorption and rose oil addition were employed to remove the odor of EPDM powder caused by reclaiming agent. The GC/MS was used to analyze the odor compounds.