Green Rubber Begins Fleet Retread Trials

Green Rubber, a subsidiary of the Malaysian based Petra Group, has announced that the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC) in the UK has begun fleet trials of retreads manufactured using "Green Rubber" compound, a recycled rubber compound made with rubber crumb and the Petra Group's DeLink rubber devulcanisation technology. The retreads used in the trials have been manufactured by leading British retreader, Bandvulc.

The commencement of trials at TARRC's Rubber Consultants unit, follows the completion of road wear trailer testing at the UK research institute, which showed that retreads manufactured with Green Rubber compound performed well in artificially severe trailer testing. According to Datin Dr Winy Sekhar, Senior VP and Co-ordinator of R&D, the fleet trials are expected to last about six months, after which the company plans to launch the technology into the retreading industry in a global basis, targeting hot cure retreaders with their own mixing facilities, crumb rubber companies and rubber compounders.

Green Rubber's compound is produced by mixing vulcanised tyre crumb with DeLink, the company's patented devulcanising agent. The process is a mechano-chemical reaction in nature, in that it requires mechanical shear to expose fresh crumb surfaces so that the DeLink reactant can effectively uncouple the sulphur cross links in the polymer chain. The process, which is typically carried out in 10-15 kg batches and which takes about 8 minutes, is performed using standard rubber processing machines such as high shear mills, refiners and internal mixers. The resulting Green Rubber may be re-vulcanised without the addition of any further curatives, or blended with virgin rubber compounds for use in a variety of rubber products. Existing applications include products such as rubber mats and shoe soles.

Separately to the fleet trials, TARRC has also confirmed that Green Rubber has managed to develop an alternative DeLink formula with a longer scorch profile, a key development in enabling the practical application of DeLink technology in tyre manufacture.

A report carried out two years ago by WRAP together with TARRC and rubber crumb supplier J Allcock & Sons, which tested 36 different recycling systems, had concluded that the chemicals used in the best de-vulcanising systems (which, according to the report, included DeLink) tended to promote re-vulcanisation. This meant that they had less processing safety i.e. delayed vulcanisation or "scorch" delay, enabling processing of the product before the onset of cross-linking. The development of the new DeLink formula significantly increases the scope for the use of tyre de-vulcanizate on a much larger scale.

Vinod Sekhar, the Chief Executive of Green Rubber said; "The result of the TARRC trial is a major endorsement of our technology. It shows that Green Rubber compound can be a major component in retreaded tyres. Not only does Green Rubber help to solve a global environmental problem by creating a new market for waste tyres, it can also be delivered to manufacturers at a price point significantly below that of virgin compound". He added "I am confident that the fleet trials will show that, for the first time, a cost-effective recycled compound can be used in truck tyres without any deterioration in performance".

Meanwhile, Green Rubber is planning to list on the AIM market in London towards the end of 2008, a process being spearheaded by the recently appointed Executive Chairman of the Board, Lord Colin Moynihan, who, in addition to his well-known status as an Olympic Silver Medallist and Chairman of the British Olympic Association, served as Minister for Energy in the UK between 1990-92 and Parliamentary Under Scretray of State at the Department of Environment from 1987-1990.