Depolymerization of tire and natural rubber using supercritical fluids

The recycling post-consumer polymers into useful feedstocks is important for both environmental and economic reasons; however, the processing of highly crosslinked polymers such as tire rubber constitutes a significant technical challenge. In this work, supercritical H 2O and CO 2 were used to controllably depolymerize tire and natural rubber. Molecular weight analysis of the degraded material indicates that reaction time can be used to control the degree of breakdown; materials in the molecular weight range of 10 3–10 4 were obtained. Also, both material composition and supercritical fluid affect the rate at which material is depolymerized. Functional analysis of the processed material shows carbonyl and aromatic groups.