German Evonik Industries is upping the ante on rubber recycling with a unique process additive, Vestenamer, which turns waste rubber into a durable material for applications in road construction, playgrounds, sports tracks and others. The Vestenamer granules, manufactured in Marl Chemical Park, Germany, are used extensively in the compounding, processing and recycling of rubber/waste rubber, and will be the highlight of the K fair in Düsseldorf come October 2019.
Statistically, some 19.3 million metric tonnes of waste rubber from scrap tyres is generated across the globe – just two decades ago, only about a tenth of scrap tyres saw process into granulate while the remainder was incinerated. But with energy-related processing, rubber recycling is more efficient and now, more sustainable. Aside from alleviating scrap tyre accumulation, the material recycling of scrap tyres provides cost-efficient raw material and significantly reduces the carbon footprint of its products.
Dr. Peter Hannen, Market Development Manager for the brand, explains: “The reactivity and polymer structure of the Vestenamer additive leads to good network density between rubber particles, in turn enhancing the compound’s mechanical properties – these improve the cost effectiveness of processing and quality of the rubber parts when rubber is recycled.”