Process of reclaiming rubber and refining reclaimed rubber

摘要

Previously vulcanized rubber to be reclaimed is fed in particulate form (e.g. ground tire stock) together with reclaiming agents to a passageway between an essentially smooth stator and an essentially cylindrical rotor arranged to provide an axial shear zone therebetween in which the rubber is frictionally propelled by the rotor action and subjected at least to the generated pressure and heat and expelled axially through an orifice. The action may be assisted by mixing a suitable amount of previously reclaimed rubber or of unvulcanized rubber with or in advance of the particulate vulcanized rubber, and/or by supplemental heating. In other aspects of the invention, previously-reclaimed previously-vulcanized rubber is similarly fed and acted upon as a substitute for conventional refining operations.