Abstract
The increasing number of motor vehicles in Indonesia has led to a growing amount of waste tires, posing environmental concerns. This study investigated the use of waste tire rubber powder as a filler in EPDM/polypropylene-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) using PP-g-MA as a compatibilizer. The blends were vulcanized and hot-pressed at 185°C with waste tire powder contents of 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 phr. Mechanical properties were evaluated, while FTIR, SEM, and TGA analyses were conducted on the optimum composition. The optimum filler content was 20 phr, yielding tensile strengths of 10.9903 MPa before aging and 5.6893 MPa after aging, elongations at break of 23.76% and 16.67%, elastic moduli of 46.2554 MPa and 34.1289 MPa, and an impact strength of 12,906.220 J/m². The tensile strength met the SNI 06-1490-1989 requirement, although the elongation at break did not. FTIR indicated the formation of O–H groups due to oxidative degradation, SEM showed relatively homogeneous filler dispersion with slight agglomeration, and TGA revealed thermal decomposition at 411.38–533.60°C. These results demonstrate that waste tire powder is a promising filler for EPDM/PP-based TPE with good mechanical properties and thermal stability.