Webinar | Tyromer Rubber Devulcanization: Enabling a Truly Circular Tire-to-Tire Recycling Economy, by C. Tzoganakis, PhD

Thursday, November 11, 2021 3:30 pm - 3:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

The Department of Chemical Engineering is pleased to announce a research webminar given by Professor Costas Tzoganakis.  He will discuss a truly circular tire-to-tire recycling economy.  

All graduate Chemical Engineering students will receive an Outlook calendar event with webinar access details.

Everyone is welcome – If you are not a graduate Chemical Engineering student, contact the Manager of Graduate Studies for the access information you need to join the webinar.  

Abstract

The recycling of end-of-life tires (ELT) is an important global issue. ELT management presents many challenges and opportunities that will be reviewed along with the development of a unique chemical-free reactive extrusion process for rubber tire crumb devulcanization. This innovative technology leads to the production of high-quality rubber products. Such products can be used in meaningful amounts in tire rubber formulations to provide an economically viable and sustainable solution toward closing the loop for a truly circular tire-to-tire recycling economy. Aspects of this technology will be highlighted along with its impact on current industrial applications.

Biographical Sketch  Costas Tzoganakis has been a Professor at the University of Waterloo for the last 31 years.

His areas of expertise include polymer processing and polymer rheology, polymer reactive extrusion, modification and functionalization of polyolefins, rubber devulcanization using supercritical carbon dioxide, plastics and rubber nano-composites, sustainable bio-based polymers and coatings, inferential sensors for polymer compounding.

He is the inventor a green technology that converts scrap tire rubber into a tire-derived polymer that can be used as a feed stock for new tire manufacturing, automotive seals and other elastomeric high value products. In addition to his teaching and research duties, Professor Tzoganakis serves as Chief Technology Officer of Tyromer Inc., a University of Waterloo start-up company that is working to commercialize this patented technology on rubber devulcanization.

In recognition of his research contributions, Professor Tzoganakis has received the following prestigious awards: (i) the Syncrude Canada Innovation Award from the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE), (ii) the Heinz List Award from the Extrusion Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), (iii) the Heinz Hermann Award from the Extrusion Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), and (iv) the James L. White Innovation Award from the Polymer Processing Society (PPS). Professor Tzoganakis is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Canada (CIC), a Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and a Professional Engineer in Ontario.