One of the various problems which mankind faces as it enters into the 21st
century is the problem of waste disposal management. Since polymeric materi
als do not decompose easily, disposal of waste polymers is a serious enviro
nmental problem. Large amounts of rubbers are used as tires for aeroplanes,
trucks, cars, two-wheelers etc. But after a long run when these tires are
not serviceable and discarded, only a few grams or kilograms of rubber (<1%
) are abraded out from the tire. Almost the entire amount of rubber from th
e worn out tires is discarded, which again need very long time for natural
degradation due to crosslinked structure of rubbers and presence of stabili
zers and other additives. This poses two major problems: the wastage of val
uable rubber and the disposal of waste tires leading to environmental pollu
tion. Two major approaches to solve this problem are the recycle and the re
use of used and waste rubber, and the reclaim of rubber raw materials, (C)
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