Sumitomo Rubber Develops "Reduced Odor Natural Rubber" Featuring Significantly Less Natural Rubber Odor
Mar. 25. 2020
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is pleased to announce that, after successfully identifying the factors that cause natural rubber to emit an odor, we have now developed "Reduced Odor Natural Rubber," a new type of natural rubber that emits significantly less odor.
Thanks to the introduction of a proprietary raw material processing technique at the Sumitomo Rubber Group's natural rubber processing plant in Thailand, our newly developed "Reduced Odor Natural Rubber" achieves a significant reduction in odor by suppressing the breakdown of odor-causing non-rubber components (such as proteins and lipids) that are found within natural rubber in its raw material state. We believe that the establishment of this new technique represents a major step toward solving longstanding odor issues not just at natural rubber processing plants, but also at tire factories and other sites where natural rubber is handled.
The Sumitomo Rubber Group is actively engaged in research and development activities that aim to improve tire performance while also better responding to the needs arising out of greater overall environmental awareness worldwide through our efforts to modify the properties of natural rubber, make greater use of biomass materials and so forth. As natural rubber in particular accounts for approximately 30%* of the raw materials that make up a tire (by weight), we are currently moving forward with proactive efforts to find pioneering solutions to the various issues surrounding natural rubber and its use.
*Source : "Tire Industry of Japan 2019" Report (Japan Automobile Tire Manufacturers Association)
Thanks to the introduction of a proprietary raw material processing technique at the Sumitomo Rubber Group's natural rubber processing plant in Thailand, our newly developed "Reduced Odor Natural Rubber" achieves a significant reduction in odor by suppressing the breakdown of odor-causing non-rubber components (such as proteins and lipids) that are found within natural rubber in its raw material state. We believe that the establishment of this new technique represents a major step toward solving longstanding odor issues not just at natural rubber processing plants, but also at tire factories and other sites where natural rubber is handled.
The Sumitomo Rubber Group is actively engaged in research and development activities that aim to improve tire performance while also better responding to the needs arising out of greater overall environmental awareness worldwide through our efforts to modify the properties of natural rubber, make greater use of biomass materials and so forth. As natural rubber in particular accounts for approximately 30%* of the raw materials that make up a tire (by weight), we are currently moving forward with proactive efforts to find pioneering solutions to the various issues surrounding natural rubber and its use.
*Source : "Tire Industry of Japan 2019" Report (Japan Automobile Tire Manufacturers Association)