Micronized powders may be used in various applications (e.g., in the food industry, pharmaceutical industry, plastics industry, rubber industry, etc.). Traditional processes for producing micronized powders, however, are expensive and inefficient.
For example, the disposal of vulcanized rubber, in the form of used tires and other rubber/elastomer articles, represents a major environmental problem. One solution to that problem is to recycle the vulcanized rubber into micronized rubber powder (“MRP”), which can then be used in a variety of applications, including as a filler in new rubber mixes (e.g., tire tread compounds for vehicle tires), plastic formulations (e.g., as fillers for polyolefins), asphalt, etc. In these applications, the MRP is used in place of virgin compound materials and comprises vulcanized elastomer particles of small size (e.g., 2 mm or less in diameter) that conform to the American Society for Testing and Materials standards (e.g., ASTM D-5603-01, which classifies materials according to the maximum size, in U.S. Standard Mesh sizes, of the particles comprising the composition).
Generally, MRP may be produced by cryogenic grinding, chemical processes, and other methods. Some aspects of these traditional processes, however, are expensive and sometimes inefficient. Additionally, the ultimate application in which the MRP is used is determinative of the infeed material for the process, which limits the types of vulcanized rubber that can be recycled through the production of MRP.