RUBBER INDUSTRIES Meta Fitri Rizkiana, S.T. , M.Sc.

NRP. 760017111

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NATURAL RUBBER

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SYNTHETIC RUBBER

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HISTORY
1770
 Joseph Priestly found it could be used to rub out pencil marks

1839
 Invention of vulcanization by Charles Goodyear

World War I, 1920s - 1930s

 German scientists produced a crude synthetic rubber  World War I
 Several polymerising processes were 1st developed in Germany, Soviet Union, UK, & U.S  1920s & 1930s

World War II, 1941

 Synthetic rubber started to be produced on a large scale
 Western Europe & U.S were cut off from their main sources of NR & turned to the domestic chemical industry
to increase SR capacity

Early 1960s
 Synthetic rubbers had overtaken NR in volume

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NATURAL RUBBER
Dandelion, guayule, and numerous other plants have been proposed as sources of
rubber, but none has proved to be as successful as the latex producing tree Hevea
brasiliensis
Trees require approximately 7 years to reach bearing age and may then continue to
yield for a number of years
Latex is obtained by tapping the tree to allow the liquid to accumulate in small
cups, which must be collected frequently to avoid putrefaction or contamination
The latex is carried to collection stations where it is strained and a preservative
(NH3) added
The rubber is separated by a process known as coagulation

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PRODUCTION & PROCESSING
Monomer : 2-methylbutan-1,3-diene (Polymer : cis-polyisoprene)
 PRODUCTION & PROCESSING
Coagulation Process
 2 ways the rubber can be coagulated :
Added with acid (fast reaction)
 Acid (methanoic acid or ethanoic acid) consists of
H+ ion
1. H+ Neutralize the negatively charged
protein membrane
2. Rubber particles collide
3. Protein membrane breaks
4. Rubber molecules clump together 
latex coagulates
Action of bacteria (slow reaction)
 Bacteria produces lactic acid
 Lactic acid  coagulation of latex
 PRODUCTION & PROCESSING
Coagulation of Latex
 Ammonia Latex FLOWCHART PROCESSING
Inspect Repeat Process A (Fine Shredding)

Filtrate Filtration/Sedimentation 3 Crepers Creping Battery

Clean Water
Mix Shredder Size-Reduction B
Acid Match Flow System

Coagulating Coagulation Tank Wash & Mix

Crush Crusher Repeat Process B

Creping Creper Repeat Process B

Storage Pool Drier Drying

Shred (Coarse Shredding) Shredder Bailing Press Bailing (Packaging)

A
Wash & Mix

Repeat Process A (Fine Shredding)

CLASSIFICATION
Natural Rubber (NR) Ribbed Smoked
Sheet (RSS)

Dry/Solid Rubber Crepe Rubber

Technically Specified
Rubber (TSR)

Latex Concentrate
PRODUCTION & PROCESSING
Flowchart RSS Processing Latex

Formic Latex Bulking Tank

Water
Acid
Coagulation Troughs

Smoke House

Blemish Removal & Visual Grading

Bailing

Warehouse
PRODUCTION & PROCESSING
Flowchart Block Rubber Processing
Latex from Various Cutting with
Sources rotating knives

Chemicals
Shear between
(Viscosity Latex Bulking Tank
two roller
Colour)

Coagulation
Acid Granules
Trough

Creper
Hammermill
Extruder

Drier (Apron Driers,

Warehouse
Chamber Driers)

PE Film
Baler Palleting
Wrapper
RSS AND STANDART INDONESIAN RUBBER (SIR)

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APPLICATION
APPLICATION
NEXT PROCESS
Rubber must be softened before it can be compounded with various necessary
additives, this may be done with a two roll mill or a mixer
After softening, the compounding materials, such as carbon black (filler), sulfur
(vulcanization), accelerator, protective antioxidant, and oil are mixed
After mixing, the rubber is shaped into the desired product by extruding, or molding,
and then vulcanized
Vulcanization leads to a cross-linked thermoset polymer that cannot be softened or
melted by reheating

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MONOMER RECOVERY
Recovery of the unreacted monomers and purification is an essential step in
economical synthetic rubber production
Methods of recovery by steam stripping from aqueous or by distillation from solvent
systems are employed

Reaction Mixture

Rubber Liquid
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COAGULATION AND DRYING
The finishing process usually consists of precipitating the rubber from the latex
emulsion, or from the solvent solution in crumb form, it is then dried and compressed
into a bale
May be easily coagulated by the addition of sodium chloride, dilute sulfuric acid,
alum, serum
The rubbers which result from solution polymerization can be precipitated into crumb
form by adding the solution to a tank of hot water under violent agitation, with or
without the addition of wetting agents, to control crumb size and prevent
reagglomeration
The coagulated crumb is separated from the serum and washed on vibrating screen
or rotating filters and dried at appropriate temperatures
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 STYRENE BUTADIENE RUBBER

Peroxide as catalyst (emulsion) Li-Alkyl as catalyst (solution)

Mercaptan as modifier, regulates chain growth (emulsion) ethers, tertiary amines (solution)
Sodium nitrite and sodium dimethyldithiocarbamate are added to terminate the reaction
(emulsion) water, alcohol (solution)
60-75% percent of completion
Styrene is recovered by steam distillation PROSES INDUSTRI KIMIA 22
Emulsion (E-SBR) and Solution (S-SBR)
This S-SBR polymer has better abrasion and fatigue resistance, higher resilience, and
lower heat build up than emulsion SBR

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Nitrile Rubbers (NBR) – copolymer of butadiene and acrylonitrile by emulsion,
resistance to hydrocarbons, solvents, abrasion, and gas permeation with increasing
nitrile content
Neoprene – emulsion polymerization of purified chloroprene at 38oC in the presence
of sulfur, resistant to oxidation, oil, and heat, flame resistant
Silicone Rubbers – polymerization of various silanes and siloxanes, their outstanding
resistance to heat useful for high temperature application
Butyl Rubbers – the copolymer of isobutylene and isoprene, extremely low
permeability to gases
Butadiene Rubbers – polymerization of 1,3 butadiene

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RUBBER COMPOUNDING
Pure rubber (natural or synthetic) is usually not suitable for use
The desirable properties of plasticity, elasticity, toughness, hardness, or stiffness,
abrasion resistance, impermeability possible are achieved by the art of the rubber
compounder

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RUBBER COMPOUNDING

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ANY QUESTIONS?

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