Environmentally safe preservation and stabilization of natural rubber latex in an acidic environment

Abstract

Natural rubber is an indispensable raw material that supplies about half of the world's rubber consumption. The latex that is extracted from the trees is composed of polyisoprene rubber, proteins, sugars, amino acids, lipids, and minerals. When the liquid latex emanates from the trees, it comes into contact with bacteria that cause it to decompose and coagulate. To hinder the decomposition and destabilization process, ammonia and other environmental and health hazard chemicals are added to the latex. The addition of these chemicals affects the health of plantation and rubber industry workers and results in residues that are contaminated with these chemicals, which require that processing facility effluents undergo costly treatment processes. Here, we present two novel liquid latex preservation and stabilization methods in an acid medium free of ammonia or other dangerous chemicals. The first method uses dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid to both stabilise and preserve the liquid latex, and the second uses ethoxylated tridecyl alcohol to stabilise and hydrofluoric acid to preserve the colloidal suspension. Both formulations result in rubber with superior mechanical properties, that is safe for the rubber plantation and industry workers, and with residues that no longer adversely affect the environment.