Devulcanized EPDM without paraffinic oil in the production of blends as a potential application of the residues from automobile industry

Vulcanized residues of ethylene–propylene–diene monomer rubber (EPDM) from expanded profiles trims, called EPDM-r, were treated to remove the paraffinic oil and then devulcanized by microwaves at different exposure times (0, 2, 3 and 4 min). Elastomeric formulations of EPDM-r compound/raw EPDM compound containing 67 wt% of recycled phase were produced, and the characteristics of the vulcanization process, mechanical and dynamic-mechanical properties, morphology and accelerated aging of the blends were analyzed. The promising results showed that it is possible to obtain new rubber compositions containing 67 wt% of EPDM-r with similar—or even higher—mechanical properties than the Reference sample (without EPDM-r), pointing out to the potential use of devulcanized EPDM-r in several applications, as a possible solution to the destination of these materials, aiming at the sustainable development.