1. By raw material source

• Tire recycled rubber: Mainly derived from waste tires. Due to the complex rubber composition and the presence of a large amount of reinforcing materials such as steel wires and fibers in tires, its regeneration process is relatively complicated. However, it has a huge output and is the main variety of regenerated rubber.

• Non-tire recycled rubber: Covers regenerated rubber produced from the recycling of waste hoses, tapes, rubber shoes, and other various rubber products. This type of regenerated rubber has a relatively simple composition and has unique performance characteristics depending on the source of different waste products.

2. By regeneration process

• Room-temperature pulverized regenerated rubber: Prepared through mechanical crushing and screening processes at room temperature. The production process consumes relatively low energy, but the stability of product quality is slightly poor and it is commonly used in fields where the requirements for rubber performance are not high.
• High-temperature dynamic desulfurized regenerated rubber: Utilizes the synergistic effect of high temperature, mechanical shear force, and chemical additives to break the molecular chains of waste rubber and achieve desulfurization and regeneration, enabling the obtainment of regenerated rubber with better performance. It is widely applied in the production of medium- and high-end rubber products, but the process control is difficult and the environmental protection requirements are high.
  

1. Sorting: The collected waste rubber products are sorted according to types, materials, etc., and impurities such as soil, stones, and metal fittings are removed to ensure the purity of the subsequent processing raw materials.

2. Cutting and pulverizing: The sorted waste rubber is cut into appropriately sized blocks and then processed into rubber particles of different particle sizes through pulverizing equipment to provide basic raw materials for subsequent regeneration treatment.

1. Desulfurization: This is a key step in the production of regenerated rubber. By adding desulfurizing agents (such as sulfur, organic sulfur compounds, etc.), under certain temperature, pressure, and mechanical stirring conditions, the sulfur cross-linking bonds in the rubber molecular chains are broken to restore part of the plasticity of the rubber. Different desulfurization process parameters will significantly affect the performance of the regenerated rubber. For example, excessively high temperature or overly long desulfurization time may lead to excessive degradation of the rubber molecular chains and a reduction in product quality.

2. Refining: The desulfurized rubber undergoes a refining process to further remove impurities and improve the uniformity and plasticity of the rubber. Through repeated extrusion and shearing by multi-roll mills or internal mixers, the regenerated rubber reaches the required processing performance indicators, such as Mooney viscosity and tensile strength.

1. Cost advantage: Compared with virgin rubber, the raw material cost of regenerated rubber is significantly reduced, which can effectively reduce the production cost of rubber products. Especially in some large-scale production fields sensitive to cost, such as tire retreading and low-end rubber product manufacturing, it has strong market competitiveness.

2. Partial performance retention: Although the performance of regenerated rubber cannot fully reach the level of virgin rubber, it still retains certain basic rubber characteristics such as elasticity, wear resistance, and aging resistance. Through reasonable formulation design, it can meet the usage requirements of many general rubber products.

3. Good processing performance: Regenerated rubber has good plasticity and compatibility. When compounded and mixed with virgin rubber, fillers, and additives, it is easy to operate and can improve the processing fluidity of the rubber compound, increasing production efficiency.

1. Performance fluctuation: Due to the wide range of sources and complex compositions of waste rubber raw materials, the quality stability of regenerated rubber is poor. The performance indicators of different batches of products may vary greatly, posing challenges to the formulation design and quality control of rubber product manufacturers.

2. Physical property limitations: Compared with virgin rubber, key physical performance indicators of regenerated rubber such as tensile strength and tear strength are relatively low, limiting its application in high-end rubber products with demanding mechanical performance requirements, such as aircraft tires and high-performance seals.

V. Application Areas of Regenerated Rubber

1. Tire retreading: Regenerated rubber is an important component of tire retreading compounds. Through reasonable blending, it can be used in parts such as the tread and sidewall of retreaded tires, extending the service life of tires, reducing transportation costs, and simultaneously reducing the generation of waste tires, conforming to the concepts of environmental protection and circular economy.

2. Low-speed tire manufacturing: In the production of tires used by some low-speed vehicles such as agricultural tricycles and forklifts, an appropriate amount of regenerated rubber can be added to meet the basic performance requirements of tires while significantly reducing costs and improving the cost-performance ratio of products.

1. Hoses and tapes: Used to manufacture the inner layer rubber of various fluid-conveying hoses and the cover rubber of tapes, taking advantage of the medium resistance, flexibility, and cost advantage of regenerated rubber to meet the requirements of general industrial application scenarios.

2. Shoe soles: In the formulations of mid- and low-end sports shoes, safety shoes, and rain boots soles, adding regenerated rubber can improve the wear resistance and slip resistance of the soles while reducing production costs, making the products more competitive in the market.

3. Rubber sealing products: For some industrial gaskets, door and window sealing strips, etc., where the sealing performance requirements are not high, regenerated rubber can be used as an auxiliary raw material in combination with virgin rubber to control costs while ensuring a certain sealing effect.

1. Environmental pressure: During the production process of regenerated rubber, especially in the desulfurization stage, pollutants such as waste gas, waste water, and waste residue may be generated. If not properly treated, it will cause serious pollution to the surrounding environment and face increasingly strict environmental regulatory requirements.

2. Technological bottlenecks: Although certain progress has been made in the current production technology of regenerated rubber, there are still many technical problems to be solved in terms of improving product quality stability, further enhancing performance indicators, and achieving clean production.

3. Market perception misunderstandings: Some consumers have quality prejudices against products containing regenerated rubber, believing that their performance is inferior to that of all-virgin rubber products, affecting the promotion of regenerated rubber in some high-end application fields.

1. Environmental technology innovation: Increase investment in research and development to develop new desulfurization technologies and supporting environmental protection treatment equipment. For example, adopt sulfur-free or low-sulfur desulfurization processes in combination with efficient waste gas purification and waste water treatment systems to achieve clean and harmless production throughout the regenerated rubber production process.

2. Industry-university-research cooperation: Encourage close cooperation between enterprises and universities and research institutions, jointly carry out key technology research projects on regenerated rubber, establish industrial technology innovation alliances, share scientific research resources, and accelerate the transformation of technological achievements to improve the overall technological level of the industry.

3. Market cultivation and publicity: Through various channels such as industry associations and enterprise publicity, strengthen the publicity and promotion of the performance, environmental advantages, and application cases of regenerated rubber products, correct consumers' perception misunderstandings, improve the market acceptance of regenerated rubber products, and expand the application market.