The paper presents the technique of production and characterization of polymer composites based on plasticized PVC and rubber powder from vulcanized nitrile rubber waste. The new polymer composites have lower hardness, higher elongation at break, a better tensile strength, and better ozone resistance, and the blend suitable for irrigations pipes for agricultural use was selected. The selected polymer composites have a good behavior under accelerated aging, repeated flexion at room temperature and at low temperature (？20°C), a very good behavior for immersion in water, concentrated acid and basis, animal fat, soya, and sun flower oil, proving their suitability for gaskets, hoses, protection equipment, rubber footwear, and so forth. The resulted thermoplastic polymer composites can be processed by injection, extrusion, and compression molding. 1. Introduction An efficient reclaiming of wastes resulted from the manufacture of mechanical rubber goods can be achieved by their use in producing composite thermoplastic elastomer materials [1, 2]. These composites can be used as thermoplastic material substitutes. Such substitutions can result in lower costs because of savings in thermoplastic materials while enabling the industrial rubber wastes to be reclaimed. Furthermore, the manufacture of such materials yields no wastes because of the spews and refuses being recycled. Composite materials based on thermoplastic and rubber powder are produced by mixing a dispersed elastic filler and a thermoplastic in a melt at a temperature above the melting point of the thermoplastic matrix on extruder-granulator, in Brabender plasticorder or on electrically heated roller mill. These materials are processed/moulded by a technique similar to those used in processing plastics and rubber blends (pressing, injection, extruded, etc.) [1–7]. The paper presents our work for producing polymer composites based on plasticized PVC and rubber powder from vulcanized nitrile rubber (NBR) waste and testing their characteristics. It deals with fitting the material characteristics in the standards for materials used for irrigation pipes. Poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) is a versatile polymer, used in flexible, semirigid, and rigid forms. In worldwide plastic production, it is second only to polyolefins. The rapid expansion and consumption of PVC is due to lower cost, greater availability, good mechanical properties, and diversity of its properties [8, 9]. One of the most prominent needs for PVC in application end use is permanent plasticization. A very important and commercially significant
References
[1]
M. Tipanna and D. D. Kale, “Composites of waste, ground rubber particles and poly(vinyl chloride),” Rubber Chemistry and Technology, vol. 70, no. 5, pp. 815–819, 1997.
[2]
G. P. Goncharuk, M. I. Knunyants, O. A. Serenko, and A. N. Kryuchkov, “Mechanical properties of modified thermoplastic elastomers based on low-density polyethylene and rubber powder,” Polymer Recycling, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 161–164, 2000.
[3]
D. Zuga and C. Cincu, “Polymer composites by reclaiming rubber wastes resulting from finishing the rubberized rolls used in printing industry,” UPB Scientific Bulletin Series B, vol. 68, no. 1, pp. 25–30, 2006.
[4]
D. Zuga and C. Cincu, “Use of cured butadiene styrene rubber powder in preparing polymer composites,” Leather and Footwear Journal, vol. 3, pp. 22–26, 2005.
[5]
M. D. Zuga, C. Cincu, and L. Alexandrescu, “Polymer composites based on rubber powder and low density polyethylene,” Leather and Footwear Journal, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 14–17, 2005.
[6]
Y. A. Vetkin, G. M. Goncharow, and M. O. Shilov, “Reological properties of polyetylene based composites containing rubber crumbs,” International Polymer Science and Technology, vol. 25, no. 12, pp. 79–80, 1998.
[7]
D. Zuga, V. Bratulescu, C. Gaidau, and C. Cincu, “Use of nitrile rubber wastes in making fatty matter-resistant boots, III IC Light Industry—fibrous materials,” in Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference on Light Industry—Fibrous Materials, K. Smiechowski, Ed., pp. 156–161, Radom, 2005.
[8]
W. V. Titow, PVC Technology, ch 2, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, 4th edition, 1984.
[9]
D. Braun and E. Bezdadea, “Encyclopedia of PVC,” L. I. Nass and C. A. Heiberger, Eds., Ch 1, 1986.
[10]
V. L. D. C. Lapa, L. L. Y. Visconte, J. E. D. S. Affonso, and R. C. R. Nunes, “Aluminum hydroxide and carbon black filled NBR/PVC composites—vulcanization and processability studies,” Polymer Testing, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 443–447, 2002.
[11]
J. Thormer, H. Bertram, O. Benn, and H. Hurrnik, “Use of zinc salts of mercaptobenzimid azole and dithiophosphoric acid esters for the preparation on nitrile rubber/poly(vinyl chloride) mixture,” U.S. Patent, no. 4, pp. 435–532, 1984.
[12]
J. I. Kim, S. H. Ryu, and Y. W. Chang, “Mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of waste rubber powder/HDPE composite,” Journal of Applied Polymer Science, vol. 77, pp. 2595–2602, 2000.
[13]
O. A. Serenko, G. P. Goncharuk, M. Y. Vdovin, and A. N. Kryuchkov, “Influence of injection moulding parameters on the properties of rubber-plastic composites,” International Polymer Science and Technology, vol. 25, no. 10, pp. 54–57, 1998.
[14]
M. D. Zuga and M. D. Berechet, “Polymeric composites based on rubber powder obtained from vulcanized rubber wastes and low density polyethylene,” in Proceedings of the The 18th Session of Scientific Communications of “Petru Poni” Molecular Chemistry Institute, Progresses in the Science of Organic and Macromolecular Compounds, Iasi Academy, Ia？i, Romania, October 2004.
