Process and composition for manufacturing friable rubber bales

Claim 2

A composition for coating wet rubber particles during extrusion and pelletization, characterized in that it comprises an inorganic partitioning agent, a cellulose thickener and binder reagent, water and a water soluble anionic dispersant.

Claim 3

The composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the inorganic partitioning agent is selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metal salts.

Claim 4

The composition according to anyone of claims 1-2, characterized in that the inorganic partitioning agent is selected from the group consisting of magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate and zinc carbonate.

Claim 5

The composition according to anyone of claims 1-3, characterized in that the anionic dispersant is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal salts of carboxylated polyelectrolytes and sodium salts of condensed naphthalenesulfonic acid.

Claim 6

The composition according to anyone of claims 1-4, characterized in that it is comprising magnesium carbonate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and sodium polymethacrylate.

Claim 7

The composition according to anyone of claims 1-5, characterized in that the amount of thickener is about 0.1 to about 0.5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight partitioning agent.

Claim 8

The composition of anyone of claims 1-6, characterized in that the amount of dispersant is 0.25-0.50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight partitioning agent.

Claim 9

A process of producing friable rubber bales comprising the steps of: providing a wet rubber; dewatering the wet rubber by passing the rubber through a dewatering extruder to obtain a rubber extrudate having a moisture content between about three and about seven percent; pelletizing the rubber extrudate by cutting the rubber extrudate into pellets, coating the pellets with a composition according to any one of claims 1-7 as the rubber extrudate is cut from the extruder; air-conveying the pellets to a dryer; drying the pellets; and compressing the pellets to produce bales.

Claim 10

The process of claim 8, characterized in that the wet rubber is selected from the group consisting of acrylate-butadiene rubber; butadiene rubber; chloroprene rubber; terpolymers of ethylene, propylene, and a diene (with the residual unsaturated portion of diene in the side chain); ethylene-propylene copolymer, isobutene-isoprene copolymer; isoprene-rubber; nitrile-butadiene rubber; nitrile-isoprene rubber; styrene-butadiene rubber; and carboxylated-styrene-butadiene rubber.

Claim 11

The process according to anyone of claims 8-9, characterized in the coating composition is applied to the pellets in quantities of about 0.2 to about 5.0 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight rubber.

Claim 12

The process of anyone of claims 8-10, characterized in that the wet rubber has a Mooney viscosity of less than 30 ML1 +4 at 100 C.

Claim 13

The process of anyone of claims 8-11, characterized in that the rubber is selected from the group consisting of a nitrile-butadiene rubber having greather than 40 percent by weight bound acrylonitrile and a styrene-butadiene rubber having a Mooney viscosity in the range of 30-50 ML 1 + 4, at 100 C.

Claim 14

A process according to anyone of claims 8-12, characterized in that the pellets are coated by a spray coating process.

Claim 15

A process for preparing a composition according to anyone of claims 1-7, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: ball milling the inorganic partitioning agent to a particle size of about 1.0-1.4 micron; adding sufficient quantity of thickener and binder reagent in aqueous solution to the partitioning agent to surround particles of partitioning agent with thickener and binder reagent solution; and, adding the dispersant in aqueous solution to the partitioning agent and thickener and binder reagent solution in sufficient quantity to reduce the viscosity of the composition to a viscosity suitable for use in a coating process.

Claim 16

A friable rubber bale made by using a composition of anyone of claims 1-7 or a composition made by a process according to claim 14 or by a process of anyone of claims 8-13.

Claim 17

Claims for the following Contracting State: ES

Claim 18

A process for preparing a composition for coating wet rubber particles during extrusion and pelletization, characterized in that a composition comprising an inorganic partitioning agent, a cellulose thickener and binder reagent, water and a water soluble anionic dispersant is being made.

Claim 19

A process for preparing a composition for coating wet rubber particles during extrusion and pelletization, characterized in that a composition comprising an inorganic partitioning agent, a cellulose thickener and binder reagent, water and a water soluble anionic dispersant is being made.

Claim 20

The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the inorganic partitioning agent is selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metal salts.

Claim 21

The process according to anyone of claims 1-2, characterized in that the inorganic partitioning agent is selected from the group consisting of magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate and zinc carbonate.

Claim 22

The process according to anyone of claims 1-3, characterized in that the anionic dispersant is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal salts of carboxylated polyelectrolytes and sodium salts of condensed naphthalenesulfonic acid.

Claim 23

The process according to anyone of claims 1-4, characterized in that a composition is used comprising magnesium carbonate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and sodium polymethacrylate.

Claim 24

The process according to anyone of claims 1-5, characterized in that the amount of thickener used is about 0.1 to about 0.5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight partitioning agent.

Claim 25

The process of anyone of claims 1-6, characterized in that the amount of dispersant used is 0.25-0.50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight partitioning agent.

Claim 26

A process of producing friable rubber bales comprising the steps of: providing a wet rubber; dewatering the wet rubber by passing the rubber through a dewatering extruder to obtain a rubber extrudate having a moisture content between about three and about seven percent; pelletizing the rubber extrudate by cutting the rubber extrudate into pellets, coating the pellets with a composition prepared according to any one of claims 1-7 as the rubber extrudate is cut from the extruder; air-conveying the pellets to a dryer; drying the pellets; and compressing the pellets to produce bales.

Claim 27

The process of claim 8, characterized in that the wet rubber is selected from the group consisting of acrylate-butadiene rubber; butadiene rubber; chloroprene rubber; terpolymers of ethylene, propylene, and a diene (with the residual unsaturated portion of diene in the side chain); ethylene-propylene copolymer, isobutene-isoprene copolymer; isoprene-rubber; nitrile-butadiene rubber; nitrile-isoprene rubber; styrene-butadiene rubber; and carboxylated-styrene-butadiene rubber.

Claim 28

The process according to anyone of claims 8-9, characterized in the coating composition is applied to the pellets in quantities of about 0.2 to about 5.0 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight rubber.

Claim 29

The process of anyone of claims 8-10, characterized in that the wet rubber has a Mooney viscosity of less than 30 ML1 +4 at 100 C.

Claim 30

The process of anyone of claims 8-11, characterized in that the rubber is selected from the group consisting of a nitrile-butadiene rubber having greather than 40 percent by weight bound acrylonitrile and a styrene-butadiene rubber having a Mooney viscosity in the range of 30-50 ML 1 +4, at 100 C.

Claim 31

A process according to anyone of claims 8-12, characterized in that the pellets are coated by a spray coating process.

Claim 32

A process for preparing a composition according to anyone of claims 1-7, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: ball milling the inorganic partitioning agent to a particle size of about 1.0-1.4 micron; adding sufficient quantity of thickener and binder reagent in aqueous solution to the partitioning agent to surround particles of partitioning agent with thickener and binder reagent solution; and, adding the dispersant in aqueous solution to the partitioning agent and thickener and binder reagent solution in sufficient quantity to reduce the viscosity of the composition to a viscosity suitable for use in a coating process.