Investigation of Polyester Tire Cord Glycolysis Accompanied by Rubber Crumb Devulcanization

Abstract

A new method for the recycling of a polyester tire cord under the action of oligoethylene terephthalates, bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate and ethylene glycol has been proposed. The method involves simultaneous homogeneous glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate and devulcanization of crumb rubber. Polyester cord and glycolysates were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The devulcanization process was investigated by swelling-based methods. The rate of the proposed method of homogeneous glycolysis in a melt phase was proved to be higher than one of the heterogeneous glycolysis. The assumption of a more efficient devulcanization in the presence of a softener was also confirmed. The degree of devulcanization 46.07%, the apparent degree of swelling 167.4%, and the apparent swelling rate constant 0.0902 min−1 were achieved. The results indicate that the proposed method made it possible to carry out the glycolysis of the polyester cord of the tire more deeply than the known heterogeneous glycolysis with various agents, but further research is needed for industrial implementation.

The Road to Sustainable Tire Materials: Current State-of-the-Art and Future Prospectives

“…Coupled with qualitative and quantitative characterizations of devulcinate products and profitability estimation, it would further enable the implementation of recycled tire derivatives in the tire industry. Kirshanov discusses a deeper polyester tire cord glycolysis combined with the devulcanized rubber crumb, but it certainly requires further research prior to industrial implementation …”

Research progress on sustainability of key tire materials

“…Currently, more than 90% of r‐PET fibers are sourced from r‐PET bottles (Figure 10A). 100 r‐PET fibers can also be obtained by classifying and recycling PET waste fabric (Figure 10B), 101,102 but the resulting fibers may not meet the mechanical performance requirements of tire cord materials. PET bottles are typically physically processed into fibers or other products via melt extrusion.…”

On the Use of Polymer-Based Composites for the Creation of Optical Sensors: A Review

“…Another important advantage of polymer-based sensors is the ability to tune their physical/chemical properties so that their resistance to degradation, biodegradability and flexibility can be modified [ 1 , 18 ]. The increasing opportunities for recycling and upcycling of polymers should also be mentioned [ 19 , 20 ].…”