At this year K fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, Evonik will be presenting VESTENAMER, a unique process additive allowing waste rubber to be processed into a tough material for a variety of applications.
Evonik
VESTENAMER Evonik Industries
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Every year, a waste volume more than 19 million metric tonnes of scrap tyres is generated worldwide (over 3.6 million in Europe). 20 years ago, more than half of all scrap tyres was incinerated to generate energy in Germany, while only every tenth was processed into granulate. By now, the volume of the latter has caught up with energy-related processing.
With VESTENAMER, Evonik helps close the materials cycle for rubber.In the recycling of waste rubber, the addition of VESTENAMER is an application that has already proven its worth in the production from useful waste of rubber articles such as floor coverings, mats, and stand systems for signposting of road works and barriers.
More efficiency in rubber recycling
Dr Peter Hannen, Market Development Manager, said: “As a process additive, VESTENAMER improves the flowability of the rubber compound. As a result, the material can be processed much more efficiently. The reactivity and polymer structure are also important here as both lead to a good network density between the rubber particles. This in turn positively impacts the mechanical properties. In short, Evonik’s process additive improves both the cost effectiveness of processing and the quality of the rubber parts.”
The use of scrap tyre granulate in new products contributes significantly toward reducing carbon footprints compared with products that do not use a recycled material.
VESTENAMER has been used as a process additive from Evonik in the rubber industry for many years. The polyoctenamer solves a number of challenges in the compounding and processing of rubber. It is also used as an aid in the recycling of waste rubber.
