Renewable rubber composites towards a sustainable future

As resources become more limited and global population continues to rise, there's a growing need for components that are easy to recycle and reuse — a key element for building a more sustainable economy1. Rubber, being used in various sectors2 from tyres, automotive to clothes, coatings and flexible sensors, represents a great candidate for innovation in this area. One of the main challenges in rubber materials is their limited recyclability3. This study aims to enhance the reusability of rubber products by improving their recycling properties, following green chemistry principles. Our approach involves the modification of liquid rubber with bio-sourced compounds that introduce specific groups, such as cellulose-derivative furans, able to form reversible Diels–Alder type4,5 bonds with a modified filler, a reinforcing material that also comes from renewable sources, like lignin or nanocellulose. Once the temperature for the retro-Diels–Alder reaction is reached, the rubber and the filler can be separated again, making both easier to recycle or reuse. This strategy opens new possibilities for developing flexible, sustainable, and recyclable rubber-based materials. Financial support from PRIN 2022 PNRR "MadABio" CUP D53D23017110001, European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation ECOTRON - grant agreement No 101070167, Circular Economy Lab for Life Sciences-CELLS within the MUSA–project–NextGenerationEU, PNRR, Mission 4 Component 2 Investment Line 1.5, is gratefully acknowledged. References 1 B. Corona, L. Shen, D. Reike, J. Rosales Carreón, & E. Worrell. Resour Conserv Recycl, 2019, 151, 104498. 2 Y. Fan, G.D. Fowler, & M. Zhao. J Clean Prod, 2020, 247, 119115, 3 Zheng Xiao, A. Pramanik, A.K. Basak, C. Prakash & S. Shankar. Clean. Mater.2022, 5, 100115. 4 V. Froidevaux, M. Borne, E. Laborbe, R. Auvergne, A. Gandini & B. Boutevin. RSC Adv, 2015, 5, 37742–37754. 5 L. M. Polgar, M. van Duin, A. A. Broekhuis, & F. Picchioni. Macromolecules, 2015, 48, 7096−7105.