Raw Materials
The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) has further scaled back its outlook on world production of natural rubber. As per the revised outlook, world production is expected to fall by 4.7 per cent to 13.130 million tonnes during 2020.
Birla Carbon, one of the world’s largest carbon black producers, has announced that all 16 of manufacturing facilities across the globe have received the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) certification. This makes Birla Carbon the first and only global carbon black manufacturer to achieve this certification.
The Rubber Skill Development Council (RSDC) foresees a shortage of skilled manpower in the rubber sector. With the objective of understanding the challenges and concerns related to absorption of workforce back into the business operations post-lockdown RSDC, is running a webinar to discuss “Demand of Skilled Workforce in the Rubber Sector Post Covid19 Lockdown” on Friday 15 May 2020.
In light of the recent developments on travel restrictions, the IRSG Secretariat in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and the Organising Committee of the World Rubber Summit (WRS) 2020 have postponed the conference until September 2020. The new dates will be communicated in due course.
Ten years have passed since a small team with a clever idea and a vision formed Black Bear Carbon, and although the decade hasn’t been without its setbacks, the company is getting ready to roll out its process for recovering carbon black and other valuable raw materials from end of life tyres. Pending financing, a new plant in Rotterdam, the Netherlands will be operational by the end of next year.
The miniscule pieces of plant root that Dr Tobias Ruckert shows us look for all the world like fresh spices, but the recipes he prepares with them aren’t for eating. These roots are from the Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS) plant, better known as Russian dandelion. Continental has been evaluating its suitability as an alternative source of natural rubber for much of the past decade.
Tokai Carbon has raised prices across all grades of carbon black effective 1 May 2020 by 6 yen a kilogram. According to the company, the price increase is because “Due to the impact of tighter regulations on bunker fuel oil sulphur content by international Marine Organization (IMO), the index used in previous price revisions can no longer be used.
Anyone who’s spent time in a garage or tyre shop knows that the smell of rubber is an acquired love. And there’s good news for those who never acquire this love – Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. has, after identifying the factors that cause natural rubber to emit an odour, developed ‘Reduced Odor Natural Rubber,’ a new type of natural rubber that emits significantly less odour.
Following a three-year joint development programme, Birla Carbon and GranBio Technologies are making their patent-pending Nanocellulose Dispersion Composite (NDC) rubber masterbatch available for qualification by tyre and rubber companies.
Cokoon is the brand name of a new bonding system technology that all tyre manufacturers and their suppliers can use as an open source solution. The development partners, tyre maker Continental and reinforcers manufacturer Kordsa, began work on this eco-friendly dip technology in 2017. Continental says it has produced quarter of a million tyres featuring Cokoon since beginning volume production last year.
Speciality chemicals company Lanxess has added a plant-based raw material variant to the Aktiplast PP product range produced by its Rhein Chemie business unit. These processing promoters for polymer blends are used in the production of tyres and a wide range of technical rubber articles. Aktiplast PP-veg, which is based on renewable raw materials, was developed specifically in response to a customer requirement from Asia. An international tyre manufacturer based in Europe has also expressed “great interest” in the material, Lanxess adds.
Aeroview/Port of Rotterdam
Stephen Goodchild
