Ground Tire Rubber Filled Flexible Polyurethane Foam—Effect of Waste Rubber Treatment on Composite Performance

Abstract

The application range of flexible polyurethane (PU) foams is comprehensive because of their versatility and flexibility in adjusting structure and performance. In addition to the investigations associated with further broadening of their potential properties, researchers are looking for new raw materials, beneficially originated from renewable resources or recycling. A great example of such a material is ground tire rubber (GTR)—the product of the material recycling of post-consumer car tires. To fully exploit the benefits of this material, it should be modified to enhance the interfacial interactions between PU and GTR. In the presented work, GTR particles were thermo-mechanically modified with the addition of fresh and waste rapeseed oil in the reactive extrusion process. The introduction of modified GTR particles into a flexible PU matrix caused a beneficial 17–28% decrease in average cell diameters. Such an effect caused an even 5% drop in thermal conductivity coefficient values, enhancing thermal insulation performance. The application of waste oil resulted in the superior mechanical performance of composites compared to the fresh one and thermo-mechanical modification without oils. The compressive and tensile performance of composites filled with waste oil-modified GTR was almost the same as for the unfilled foam. Moreover, the introduction of ground tire rubber particles enhanced the thermal stability of neat polyurethane foam.

Processing and Mechanical Properties of Highly Filled PP/GTR Compounds

“…Due to the cross-linked structure and elasticity of car tires, the process of grinding them consumes a lot of energy. The obtained recyclate can be used as a filler in cross-linked polymeric matrices [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. The application of rubberized asphalt to construct pavements or the use of GTR as a modifier to the concrete are additional methods of recycled tire use [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Vacuum-Based Impregnation of Liquid Glass into Sunflower Press Cake Particles and Their Use in Bio-Based Rigid Polyurethane Foam

“…The improvement suggests a sufficient strength of the interfacial interactions between the SFP, LG-SFP, and PUR matrix. It was particularly pronounced when SFP was used because of the shape and oil fraction on the surface of the particles, which, together with the reduced average cell size, promotes the tensile strength by the facilitated stress distribution [ 44 ]. Even though the tensile strength of LG-SFP particles modified PUR foams increases, the rise is lower compared to SFP particles modified PUR foams.…”

Recent Advances in Development of Waste-Based Polymer Materials: A Review

“…Recently, Hejna et al [168,169] studied the effect of treated ground tire rubber (GTR) (treatment by various natural oils, KMnO 4 , or H 2 O 2 ) on polyurethane/GTR composite foams. Presented results showed that suitable modification of ground tire rubber is a promising approach for tailoring the structure and performance of polyurethane composite foams.…”