DEVULCAIN

The aim of the DEVULCAIN research project is to study and improve understanding of devulcanization with a view to providing solutions for recycling the rubber soles of end-of-life footwear. According to the eco-organisation in charge of the sector, around 66,000 tons of shoes are sold in France every year. To date, there is no effective, environmentally-friendly industrial recycling solution for this waste. As a result, most of the footwear collected ends up in energy recovery centers or landfill site.

 

One way of recycling these rubbers is devulcanization (selective breaking of sulphur bond), which allows the material to return to its original structure, producing secondary materials of industrial interest. Although several devulcanisation techniques have been developed, they remain limited to laboratory scale and the mechanisms involved are not yet fully understood. DEVULCAIN aims to study the continuous-flow devulcanisation process using twin-screw extrusion, which could be used on an industrial scale. The phenomena involved in this process will be analysed and its parameters optimised. To facilitate this stage, the thermal, mechanical and chemical effects will be evaluated separately using two laboratory pilots adapted or designed for the needs of the project.

 

Through its plastics processing platform, CERI MP coordinates and carries out research activities relating to the adaptation and optimisation of twin-screw extrusion processes for devulcanisation. A second area of work coordinated by CERI MP concerns the development of methods for analyzing and quantifying the level of devulcanization of regenerated materials.