The Importance of Feedstock and Process Control on the Composition of Recovered Carbon Black

TL;DR

This study shows how feedstock and process control affect the quality of recovered carbon black from tire waste.

Contribution

The study introduces a new understanding of how feedstock and process adjustments impact recovered carbon black performance.

Findings

Truck tyre-derived rCB with lower ash content showed better rubber performance than car tyre-derived rCB.

Carbonaceous residue negatively affects rCB performance more than ash content.

Current ash content specifications for rCB may be unrealistic and require industry attention.

Abstract

Pyrolysis has emerged as a commercially viable material recovery process that supports circularity in the tyre industry. Here, it is demonstrated that a high degree of control can be imparted over the UK tyre waste stream and that statistically different feedstocks can be used to produce different grades of rCB based on their ash contents. The lower ash content rCB produced from truck tyres had superior in-rubber properties, closely matching those of the N550 reference. Silica, when not paired with a coupling agent, is known to be less reinforcing than CB, lowering the reinforcing behaviour of the high ash content rCB variant produced from car tyres. This justifiably places ash content within the classification and specification development discussion. However, a proximate analysis of UK waste tyres suggests that the typical rCB ash specifications of <20 wt% are unrealistic. Such limits would force producers to consider modifying process conditions to allow the deposition of carbonaceous residues to artificially dilute the ash content. This study investigates this process philosophy but conclusively demonstrates that carbonaceous residue is more detrimental to rCB performance than ash content. As such, carbonaceous residue content demands far more attention from the industry than it is currently afforded.

Figures