Recyclatech's Technology uses patented biotechnological intellectual property to devulcanise rubber crumb from waste tyres and for the processed material to re-enter the high value markets of the materials chain.
The 'green microbial process' facilitates surface modification of rubber crumb enabling the rubber particles to chemically bond with other materials in compounds, thereby becoming an integral part of the material structure rather than just filler. The process has been fully developed to commercial level following Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept funding to Edinburgh Napier University.
Economically, the use of devulcanised rubber crumb in many applications would reduce costs by negating the use of most of the constituents that go into rubber production and the environmental risk in their use in manufacture.
How does it work?
Recyclatech Limited has developed a novel microbial technology to devulcanise natural and synthetic rubber waste, primarily used rubber tyres, for reprocessing into high value rubber products. The process involves the crumbing of rubber tyres, followed by the addition of the rubber crumb together with the microbial cultures to large reaction vessels where the devulcanisation process is completed. Recyclatech Technology increases the available crosslinking sites on the surfaces of rubber crumb, following microbial devulcanisation (desulphurisation) afforded by its patented bacteria, allowing significantly more cross-linking of crumb with virgin rubber on reprocessing. The batch enzymatic bioprocess takes 2 days to devulcanise rubber crumb.
The microorganisms are patented naturally occurring (non-genetically modified) bacterial species capable of removing sulphur that is used in vulcanisation. The process does not produce any polluting chemical substances and neither is the release of the microbial biomass an environmental problem.