How much process oil
can RRP replace?
The short answer: up to 50% of the process oil in most compounds. The longer answer is what this page is for — why it is a range and not a constant, and how to find your own number in one trial.
Related Reclaim rubber vs virgin natural rubber: where the saving actually comes from
Why oil is in the compound at all
Process oil is not there to save money. It is there to bring Mooney down, to wet the filler out so it disperses, and to make the batch processable on the mill and in the extruder. It does that job well — and it does one more thing nobody asks for: it dilutes the polymer. Every kilo of oil you add is a kilo of compound that is not rubber, and the physicals move accordingly.
So the compounder ends up balancing two things at once. Enough oil to process. Not so much that the tensile and tear fall through the specification.
What RRP does differently
RRP is a semi-solid reclaimed rubber plasticiser. It softens and mixes like an oil — but it is rubber. It performs the softening job and puts polymer back into the compound at the same time. That is the whole reason a share of the oil can come out without the properties following it down.
This is also why the answer is a range rather than a single number. How much you can take out depends on:
- Your base polymer — NR, SBR, blends and their proportions
- Filler loading — a heavily loaded black compound behaves differently from a lightly loaded one
- The cure system and where you sit on the rheograph today
- Which property is your constraint — tensile, tear, hardness, fatigue or processing itself
Compounds with high oil loadings have the most to gain, because there is simply more oil available to replace.
The commercial argument
Process oil is priced off crude and moves with crude. RRP is priced off recovered tyre rubber. Two different markets, two different curves. When oil runs up, the part of your recipe that is RRP does not run up with it in the same proportion. Over a year that is a real difference in compound cost, and it is a difference you can plan around rather than react to.
How to run the first trial
Do not start at the ceiling. Prove the direction first, then take it up on your own numbers.
| Step | What to do | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tell us the application and the property targets | We recommend a starting substitution level — no recipe required |
| 2 | Lab batch at the recommended level | Mooney, dispersion, mill behaviour, rheograph |
| 3 | Cure and test against your current control | Tensile, elongation, hardness, tear |
| 4 | Step the level up while the numbers hold | Where the properties start to move is your ceiling |
| 5 | Plant trial, then a standing schedule | Batch-to-batch consistency at scale |
Every RRP consignment carries batch-wise test values from our own laboratory and a COA, so a trial you run in March can be repeated in September.
Where this works best
- Tyre compounds with high oil loadings — sidewall, inner liner, carcass
- Retreading and tread rubber compounds
- Hoses, belting and moulded technical rubber goods
- Footwear and sheet compounds
- Any compound where process-oil cost has become the swing factor in the recipe
RRP is REACH and PAH compliant, which is why it is accepted in export compounds as well as domestic ones. Full detail is on the RRP product page, and the rest of the range is on the grade sheet.
Just the application and the property targets you have to hold — tyre sidewall, belting, moulded goods, whatever it is. No formulation details needed. We reply with a recommended starting level the same working day.
How much process oil can RRP replace?
In most rubber compounds up to 50% of the process oil can be replaced with RRP. The exact share depends on the base polymer, the filler loading, the cure system and which property you have to hold, so the first trial always starts at a conservative level and moves up on your own test results.
Will my physical properties come down?
That is the point of using RRP rather than more oil. Process oil only softens; RRP softens and carries rubber into the compound at the same time, so the polymer that oil dilutes is partly given back. In practice compounds hold their qualified physicals at the levels we recommend.
Does RRP change the cure?
The effect is usually small, but it is never exactly zero. Watch the rheograph on the first trial batch. Tell us the application and the property targets and we will tell you what to look for on the rheograph before you mix. You do not have to share your formulation — we work from the targets.
How is RRP added?
It goes in at the mixing stage in place of a share of the process oil. It is supplied in 10 kg EVA bags that go into the mixer with the charge, so nobody has to weigh a sticky material by hand.
Why is RRP cheaper than process oil over time?
Process oil is priced off crude and moves with it. RRP is priced off recovered tyre rubber. When crude runs up, the RRP share of your recipe does not follow it in the same proportion.
Can I get a trial quantity?
Yes. Sample and single-pallet trials are normal for RRP and we prefer customers to start that way rather than take a datasheet on trust.