Low-cost rubber compounds for fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators: Recovered powders and waste oils from rubber manufacturing processes

In recent years the concept of recycling and reuse is a popular issue faced in many fields. During manufacturing processes a huge amount of materials is recovered to minimize waste. In particular, this study investigates the possibility of reuse materials recovered during the production of rubber in standard industrial practice, for the realization of low-cost rubber compounds for fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators. To cope with this task, a new composition is developed basing on the past experience of the research group and in particular with reference to a previous study by A. B. Habieb et al, where a part of virgin rubber was replaced by regenerated one. Subsequently, a comparison between the two compositions in terms of rheometer curves, uniaxial tensile curves, hardness and compression sets, before and after the process of aging is provided. It is found that the new composition exhibits attractive performances with economic advantages and environmental benefits.