EcoPolyRub: Sustainable Rubber Materials from wastes for solid-state cooling

The growing demand for sustainable materials and energy-efficient technologies has accelerated the research for alternatives to conventional plastics, rubbers, and refrigeration systems. In this context, the EcoPolyRub project (Blends with High Mechanical Performance from Eco-Polymers and Rubber Wastes) focuses on the development of new elastomeric materials based on recycled tyre rubber, modified recycled plastics, and natural rubber for advanced mechanical and thermal applications.

The project aims to transform rubber and plastic waste into high added-value materials with improved durability, flexibility, and functional properties. Ground tire rubber particles obtained from end-of-life tires are incorporated into natural rubber matrices to create more sustainable compounds while reducing the environmental impact associated with rubber disposal. These recycled particles not only contribute to circular economy strategies, but can also reinforce the rubber matrix and modify its mechanical behavior under deformation.

In parallel, EcoPolyRub explores the incorporation of modified recycled plastics, such as recycled PET and PLA-based materials, into rubber matrices. These recycled plastic phases are expected to act as reinforcing fillers, similarly to ground tyre rubber. The objective is to improve the mechanical resistance and durability of the materials, while opening up new possibilities for combining flexibility, toughness and lightweight properties in a single system.

One of the lines of the project is the study of the elastocaloric effect in rubber materials. Elastocaloric materials are capable of generating heating and cooling effects when stretched and released. This phenomenon can be exploited in solid-state refrigeration technologies, offering a potential alternative to conventional cooling systems based on refrigerant gases and vapor-compression cycles. Natural rubber is especially promising for this application because of its ability to crystallize during deformation, a phenomenon that strongly influences both its thermal and mechanical response.

The project also investigates the fracture and fatigue behavior of these materials under repeated mechanical loading. Using advanced infrared thermography and mechanical characterization techniques, the research analyzes how cracks initiate and propagate in rubber materials and how deformation-induced thermal effects can help to better understand their long-term durability and performance.

By combining recycled materials, sustainable rubber sources, and innovative thermal functionalities, EcoPolyRub aims to develop a new generation of durable and energy-efficient elastomeric materials for future domestic, industrial, and transport applications, contributing both to circular economy strategies and to the development of environmentally friendly cooling technologies.

Budget and Funding

The project is developed in collaboration with the Centre Català del Plàstic (CCP), and runs from September 2024 to December 2027. It has received a total budget of €162,500.