Ground Tire Rubber/Polypropylene Compounds: Relationship Between Physicochemical and Mechanical Properties

A dual acetone-ultrasound treatment was employed to devulcanize ground tire rubber, which was then used to prepare polypropylene/GTR composites by melt processing. The effect of the type of GTR (acetone treatment and acetone-ultrasound treatment) and the content incorporated (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt%) on the melt flow and mechanical properties of reprocessed PP was studied. The TGA results showed a decrease in the content of the additives in the treated GTR, improving the interactions with the polymer matrix as indicated by MFI, FTIR, and tensile modulus. The results showed that acetone-ultrasound-treated GTR could produce PP extruded pipes for outdoor wire protection, an application that may interest construction industries.