ODOURLESS NATURAL RUBBER COAGULATED BY MICROORGANISM

Abstract

In China, SCR WF, produced using fresh latex as raw materials and acid as coagulant, accounts for the main production of commercial technically specified rubber (TSR) grades. Although SCR WF has advantages in price, normally 200 dollars/ ton and higher than TSR20, its mechanical properties such as tensile strength and hardness are lower compared with TSR20. It has been proved that auto-coagulation endows better mechanical properties to rubber than acid coagulation. However, this auto-coagulation process causes a malodorous effect to the rubber and the generated serum, which severely affects the health of workers in the factory and members of the public who live around. In this study, we report a new microorganism coagulation technique which can fully coagulate the field latex, preserved with or without ammonia, within 24 hours by the microbial strain from targeting cultivation. Moreover, this technique causes no unpleasant odour to the rubber and the wastewater, which shows a green characteristic for natural rubber processing. The mechanical properties were also evaluated and the results show that the produced rubber possesses a higher tensile strength and better dynamic properties than the control (SCR WF).

Keywords: natural rubber, odourless, coagulation, microorganism, latex, serum, TSR, SCR WF, coagulation