SIGNUS and AIMPLAS have completed the first phase of the GREENFU project, which aims to develop composite materials using recycled rubber from end-of-life tires (ELTs) combined with thermoplastics. The project focuses on creating sustainable solutions for industries such as automotive and construction, leveraging the properties of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs).

TPEs, known for their processability and elasticity, are gaining technological importance as versatile materials with diverse applications. Recycled rubber’s inclusion in TPEs provides an opportunity to enhance sustainability while meeting commercial material requirements.

In collaboration with AIMPLAS, a technological center with decades of plastics expertise, the project has successfully developed 12 polypropylene-based materials containing recycled rubber powder in various proportions. These materials are suitable for injection and extrusion processes, offering viable alternatives to existing commercial materials. Importantly, their recyclability at the end of their lifecycle underscores their environmental benefits.

The next phase of the GREENFU project will focus on deeper exploration of these materials within the automotive sector, involving industry partners to evaluate their potential for broader commercial adoption. This initiative highlights a significant step forward in integrating recycled materials into high-value industrial applications.

About SIGNUS

SIGNUS Ecovalor is a non-profit organisation, a collective system of extended producer responsibility that has the obligation to guarantee the correct environmental management of tyres placed on the replacement market by its member companies (manufacturers and importers). Another of SIGNUS ' missions is to give value to the recycled materials from these tyres through the development of their applications, consolidating existing ones and developing new ones.

Article by SIGNUS.