The GREENFU project, which began in 2023, aims to develop materials made of a thermoplastic and rubber powder from tyres, for use in sectors such as the automotive and construction industries
This project has been developed in collaboration with AIMPLAS, a technology center with more than 30 years of experience in the plastics sector, which has contributed its knowledge to ensure the applicability of these composite materials
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are a unique category of composite materials that combine the ease of processing of thermoplastics (plastic) and the elasticity of elastomers (rubber), offering versatility and a wide range of applications, making recycled rubber from end-of-life tires an excellent candidate to be part of it. Furthermore, in recent years, interest in this type of plastic material has grown significantly, gaining technological importance, especially in the automotive and construction sectors, to which is added the possibility of using recycled materials, thus helping to make products more sustainable. As a result of the project, 12 polypropylene materials have been developed with recycled rubber powder from tyres in different proportions, with formulations suitable for injection and extrusion processes, viable for commercial uses, which suggests their viability to replace or complement existing commercial materials.
It is also important to highlight their recyclability at the end of their useful life, since when carrying out the life cycle analysis of any product this is one of the most relevant aspects.
To continue this work, it is proposed to explore in depth the use of these new materials that incorporate recycled tyres in the automotive industry involving some company in the sector.
