Patent ID: 7858735

Claim:
A method for drying an elastomer comprising the steps of: a. obtaining a slurry comprising an elastomer and 30.0 to 70.0 wt % water based on the weight of the slurry; b. passing the slurry through a first dewatering device comprising at least two dewatering extruders in parallel to produce a wet elastomer crumb, wherein the wet elastomer crumb comprises 3.0 to 20.0 wt % water based on the weight of the wet elastomer crumb; c. passing the wet elastomer crumb through a second dewatering device to produce a partially dried elastomer crumb, wherein the partially dried elastomer crumb comprises 2.0 to 10.0 wt % water based on the weight of the partially dried elastomer crumb; and d. passing the partially dried elastomer crumb through a drying device to produce a dried elastomer crumb, wherein the dried elastomer crumb comprises less than or equal to 1.0 wt % water based on the weight of the dried elastomer crumb; wherein the method is capable of producing at least 6 tons of dried elastomer crumb per hour.