Radical bulk polymerization of styrene in the presence of rubber particles from recycled tires: a kinetic study using DSC

Daniela Florez (1) , Sandrine Hoppe (1) , Guo-Hua Hu (1) , Dimitrios Meimaroglou (1)

1 LRGP - Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés

The kinetic developments of the free-radical bulk polymerization of styrene in the presence of recycled rubber tire particles are studied by isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Two different chemical initiators, namely benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and 2,2'-Azobis(2methylbutyronitrile) (AMBN), are tested in a series of variable-composition experiments, under three different polymerization temperatures, in order to selectively address the role of the different species on the evolution of the polymerization reaction. The variation of the overall effective kinetic rate constant and activation energy of the polymerization are also calculated to quantify the effect of the addition of the particulate filler. The results of the study demonstrate that the combination of the peroxide initiator agent with a composition of the reacting mixture in the order of 30 mass%, in terms of the rubber tire particles, results in a significant deviation of the evolution of the rate of polymerization and monomer conversion, with respect to that of the pure homopolymerization system in the absence of tire particles. The observed phenomena are consistent with previous studies reported in the literature and are mainly attributed to the chemical interactions taking place between the initiator agent and additives of the formulation of the tire particles.

Mots clés: DSC; polymerization kinetics; styrene; ground rubber particles; tire recycling

Domaines: Polymères; Génie des procédés; Matériaux

Daniela Florez, Sandrine Hoppe, Guo-Hua Hu, Dimitrios Meimaroglou. Radical bulk polymerization of styrene in the presence of rubber particles from recycled tires: a kinetic study using DSC. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 2020, ⟨10.1007/s10973-020-09701-z⟩. ⟨hal-02618820⟩