ABSTRACT
The reuse of rubber residue is extremely important nowadays, both to minimize the bad effects to the environment and to reduce the costs of new materials development. Seeing that, most of the reported papers in literature refer to the reuse of tire rubber, this work aims to evaluate the influence of SBS and SEBS-MA compatibilizers on the performance of PS/rubber residue (SBR) mixture from shoes industry, using 5% wt. of these compatibilizers. The mixtures were initially prepared in a co-rotational twin screw extruder and the extruded pellets were later molded by injection. The samples were analyzed by impact, flexural, heat deflection temperature (HDT), thermogravimetry (TG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) experiments. The results evidenced that the use of any compatibilizers in the PS/SBR mixtures significantly increased the impact strength whereas the tensions and HDT properties were lower in relation to polymer matrix. It was proved that the SBS is more efficient in the compatibilizing process of PS/SBR system, increasing 320 % the impact strength compared to PS, as well as having a 10.9 % lost only in the HDT. The results of TG illustrated that the PS/residue mixture presented a higher thermal stability in relation to the pure PS, for temperature over 376ºC. The morphologies presented from ternary and binary mixtures were clearly different and typical of immiscible blends. The results showed a good perspective of this industries wastes (SBR) use, once it was possible to value a material that would be discharged. Besides, there is the possibility to develop a new material with good properties, as well as minimize the negative effect of these wastes in the environment.
Keywords:
toughening; reuse; shoes residues; polystyrene; properties
