Work

Toward sustainable upcycling of vulcanized rubber: advances, applications, and future directions in polybutadiene-based materials

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: As of 2025, the upcycling of vulcanized rubber has emerged as a critical focus in sustainable polymer science, driven by mounting environmental concerns and increasing volumes of end-of-life elastomers, particularly from waste tires. Due to their permanent crosslinked networks and complex additive compositions, vulcanized rubbers remain resistant to conventional recycling. Recent advances have demonstrated promising strategies for their chemical transformation into value-added materials such as activated carbons, electrochemical components, structural composites, and polymeric intermediates. This review consolidates developments in oxidative degradation, pyrolysis, metathesis chemistry, and covalent adaptive networks, with a focus on polybutadiene-based materials. Process limitations, such as feedstock heterogeneity, harsh reaction conditions, and limited circular reintegration, are critically evaluated. Looking ahead, enhanced mechanistic understanding and tailored upcycling pathways are needed to bridge the gap between laboratory research and scalable, sustainable solutions.

Source: European Polymer Journal

DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2025.114391

Authors: Janna Jeschke, Hatice Mutlu

Institutions: Université de Haute-Alsace, Institut de Sciences des Matériaux de Mulhouse, Leibniz-Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe GmbH, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau

Language: English

Topic: Polymer crystallization and properties

Subfield: Polymers and Plastics

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,330