Devulcanized rubber and methods

1. A method for reducing the sulfur content of vulcanized rubber comprising the steps of:

providing a vulcanized rubber having a sulfur content including sulfur cross-links; and,

contacting said vulcanized rubber with a devulcanizing agent in a reaction mixture, the devulcanizing agent being a turpentine liquid, wherein said turpentine liquid is present in an amount sufficient such that said turpentine liquid acts to substantially to break said cross-links and to reduce said sulfur content of said vulcanized rubber and wherein the action of said turpentine liquid results in substantial devulcanization of said vulcanized rubber, wherein the sulfur content of said rubber is reduced to about 0.03 wt. %.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said contacting comprises heating said reaction mixture for about 240 minutes, at about 70° C., under pressure of less than 1.0 atm, at a weight ratio of said devulcanizing agent to said vulcanized rubber of about 400:38 to 400:18 grams; and storing said reaction mixture for 14 days.

3. A method of reclaiming vulcanized rubber such that its original microstructure is preserved, comprising the steps of:

providing a vulcanized rubber having a sulfur content with sulfur cross-links;

contacting said vulcanized rubber with a devulcanizing agent in a reaction mixture at temperatures within the range of about 60° C. to about 140° C. and pressures within the range of about 0.8 to about 2 atm, wherein said reaction mixture contains a greater amount by weight of said devulcanizing agent than said vulcanized rubber; and

breaking of sulfur-sulfur bonds and/or carbon-sulfur bonds in said vulcanized rubber without substantially breaking carbon-carbon bonds.

4. A devulcanization method selected from partially devulcanizing a vulcanized rubber, devulcanizing only the surface of a vulcanized rubber sample, or a combination thereof, comprising the steps of:

providing a vulcanized rubber having a sulfur content with sulfur cross-links; and,

contacting said vulcanized rubber with a devulcanizing agent comprising a turpentine liquid and at least 60% of a lower alcohol, wherein during said contacting, the sulfur cross-links broken in total by said devulcanizing agent is in an amount of from about 18% to about 48% of sulfur cross-links originally contained within said vulcanized rubber.

5. A method of removing carbon black and/or fillers from the pores of vulcanized rubber comprising the steps of:

providing a vulcanized rubber having carbon black and/or fillers trapped within its pores;

contacting said vulcanized rubber with a transparent devulcanizing agent in a reaction mixture, the devulcanizing agent being a turpentine liquid, wherein said turpentine liquid is present in an amount sufficient such that said turpentine liquid acts to remove a substantial amount of carbon black and/or fillers from pores of said vulcanized rubber; and

confirming that said substantial amount of carbon black and/or fillers have been removed by observing that said devulcanizing agent changed in color from transparent to dark and opaque.

6. A devulcanization method comprising the steps of:

a) providing an apparatus for devulcanizing rubber comprising:

a reactor vessel configured to hold a reaction mixture comprising initially vulcanized rubber having a sulfur content with sulfur cross-links in contact with at least one devulcanizing agent;

means for agitating said reaction mixture in said reactor vessel; and

control means for controlling reaction conditions within said reactor vessel to cause devulcanization of said vulcanized rubber;

b) supplying said vulcanized rubber to said reactor vessel; and

c) contacting said vulcanized rubber with said at least one devulcanizing agent to form said reaction mixture, the devulcanizing agent being a turpentine liquid, wherein said turpentine liquid is present in an amount sufficient such that said turpentine liquid acts to substantially break said cross-links and to reduce said sulfur content of said vulcanized rubber and wherein the action of said turpentine liquid results in substantial devulcanization of said vulcanized rubber;

d) agitating said reaction mixture in said reactor vessel; and

e) controlling reaction conditions within said reactor vessel such that said vulcanized rubber is devulcanized.

7. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , further comprising providing a holding tank or pipeline and incubating said rubber with said devulcanizing agent in said holding tank or pipeline.

8. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein the amount of sulfur cross-links broken by contact with said devulcanizing agent is in an amount of from about 54 to 100% of sulfur cross-links originally contained within said vulcanized rubber.

9. The devulcanization method of claim 8 , wherein said turpentine liquid is selected from the group consisting of:

natural turpentine, synthetic turpentine, pine oil, α-pinene, β-pinene, α-terpineol, β-terpineol, γ-terpineol, 3-carene, anethole, dipentene (p-mentha-1,8-diene), terpene resins, nopol, pinane, camphene, p-cymene, anisaldehyde, 2-pinane hydroperoxide, 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadiene, isobornyl acetate, terpin hydrate, ocimene, 2-pinanol, dihydromyrcenol, isoborneol, alloocimene, alloocimene alcohols, geraniol, 2-methoxy-2,6-dimethyl-7,8-epoxyoctane, camphor, p-menthan-8-ol, α-terpinyl acetate, citral, citronellol, 7-methoxydihydrocitronellal, 10-camphorsulphonic acid, p-menthene, p-menthan-8-yl acetate, citronellal, 7-hydroxydihydrocitronellal, menthol, menthone, polymers thereof, and mixtures thereof.

10. The devulcanization method of claim 8 , wherein said turpentine liquid is selected from the group consisting of, natural turpentine, synthetic turpentine, pine oil, α-pinene, β-pinene, α-terpineol, β-terpineol, polymers thereof, and mixtures thereof.

11. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein said vulcanized rubber is in a form of at least one intact vulcanized rubber article, vulcanized rubber chunk, vulcanized rubber block, vulcanized rubber crumb, vulcanized rubber piece, or a plurality or mixture thereof.

12. The devulcanization method of claim 11 , wherein said vulcanized rubber is in rubber crumb form.

13. The devulcanization method of claim 12 , wherein said rubber crumb has an average particle size of from about 0.074 millimeters to about 50 millimeters.

14. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein said reaction mixture further comprises a solvent, or a liquid miscible with said turpentine liquid.

15. The devulcanization method of claim 14 , wherein said solvent is selected from the group consisting of lower aliphatic alcohols, lower alkanes, and mixtures thereof.

16. The devulcanization method of claim 15 , wherein said solvent is selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, heptanol, and mixtures thereof.

17. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein said means for agitating said reaction mixture is by contacting with bubbles of boiling water.

18. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein said control means is configured to vary temperature with said reaction vessel from about 10° C. to about 180° C.

19. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein said control means is configured to vary pressure with said reaction vessel from about 4×10 4 Pascal (0.4 atm) to about 4×10 5 Pascal (4 atm).

20. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , further comprising providing at least one energy input means for generating thermal energy in excess of about 250° C. and/or pressure in excess of about 4×10 5 Pascals selected from the group consisting of microwave energy, ultrasonic energy, and mechanical shear-forces.

21. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein said reaction mixture further comprises a devulcanization catalyst.

22. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein said reaction mixture further comprises a compound selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, metal oxides, sulfur-radical inhibitors, N-tert-butyl-2-benzothiazole sulphenamide (TBBS), zinc mercaptobenzothiazole (ZMBT), 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), tetramethylthiuram monosulfide (TMTM), and mixtures thereof.

23. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein said reaction mixture further comprises a thermophilic microorganism.

24. The devulcanization method of claim 8 , wherein the amount of sulfur cross-links broken by contact with said devulcanizing agent is in an amount of at least 75% of sulfur cross-links originally contained within said vulcanized rubber.

25. The devulcanization method of claim 24 , wherein said amount is at least about 90%.

26. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein the sulfur content of said rubber is reduced to about 0.03% by weight by contact with said devulcanizing agent.

27. The devulcanization method of claim 6 , wherein said reaction mixture contains a greater amount by weight of said devulcanizing agent than said vulcanized rubber.

28. The devulcanization method of claim 27 , wherein the ratio of said devulcanizing agent to said vulcanized rubber is at least about 3:1.

29. The devulcanization method of claim 28 , wherein said ratio is from about 3:1 to about 400:18.

30. The devulcanization method of claim 28 , wherein the ratio is at least about 400:38.

31. The devulcanization method of claim 30 , wherein said ratio is at least about 400:18.

32. The devulcanization method of claim 8 , wherein substantially all of the breaking of said cross-links, substantially all of the reduction of said sulfur content and substantially all of said devulcanization results from activity of said turpentine liquid.