MARKETS Reclaim Steady as Synthetic Grows Rubber Reclaimers Use These Chemicals U.S. Consumption (Thousand of Long Toni)
Defibertng
Agents
Calcium chloride Caustic soda Zinc chloride
Solvent, naphtha Aromatic disulfides
S o a p flakes Tall o i l
S o f t e n e r s and Refining O t h e r
Compounding
u Aids ~ φ . - '= ~" _ . X I n g r e d i e n t s
A b i e t i c a c i d . ^ . , v-s. r v Barytes Asphalticous γ ; ,yr' • Calcium silicate ': Carbon blacks . Coal, ground e Naval Stores» - "\v/* Iron oxide Clay coumarone resins Diatomaceous earth IV Lime Dipentene . Pine tar -." f - fw C ; "^ '/.i i Dégras? v -C; C^t - - ^ - - r -. L i t h o p o n e ^ i-:" "J, / - M a g n e s i a Pine tar oil "^ " -"; ; * :/";-"FatryJacid$V i Rosin oil f ^ ~Γ f ^ G î l s o n i t é -=- :;C""- - , " Oyster shells, «ground %: .Mineral oils-i - , -?„ • Titanium d i o x i d e ., Petroleum Derivatives τ. Mineral rubbers x Whiting '*. Naphthas ' ' " \ 1 ^Montari wax.*Zinc o x i d e Resins * . -*.*'' / , Palm oil ; V Paraffin Miscellaneous Coal Tar Derivatives Petrolatum Borax Coal tar oils Pitches H y d r o c h l o r i c acid Naphthenic oils Rosin Rosin, treated Phenolic oils, crude Sulfuric a c i d Source; Midtcext Ruhber Reclaiming Co. Talc Reclaiming
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Agents
Reclaim Rubber Holds Markets Scrap rubber specs more rigid; synthetics broaden range of reclaiming chemicals used A F reclaimed rubber, which absorbs a l a r g e a n n u a l t o n n a g e of c h e m i c a l s , w e r e merely a s u b s t i t u t e for natural a n d s y n t h e t i c r u b b e r , its c o n s u m p t i o n a b o u t now w o u l d d r o p oft t o t h e v a n ishing point. B u t r e c l a i m , a p r o d u c t i n its o w n right, has desirable and u n i q u e prope r t i e s in r u b b e r c o m p o u n d i n g . A n d it h a s h a d a n e n v i a b l e r e c o r d of s t a b i l i t y s i n c e W o r l d W a r I I . In c o n t r a s t , u s e s for n a t u r a l r u b b e r h a v e fallen off, w h i l e u s e s for s y n t h e t i c h a v e r o c k e t e d to record levels. Reclaim consumption this year, a r o u n d 2 4 3 . 0 0 0 t o n s , is n o t far from t h e 2 6 1 , 1 1 3 t o n s u s e d in 1948 a n d e x c e e d s t h e 2 2 2 . 6 7 9 t o n s c h e w e d up in 3 9 4 9 . • S p e e d s P r o c e s s i n g . R e c l a i m is an extraordinarily uniform product. It gives t h e r u b b e r manufacturer a route to f a s t e r a n d e a s i e r m a s t i c a t i o n a n d mixing. I n p r o c e s s i n g t h e large tonnage styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), reclaim allows s p e e d i e r extrusion and calendering. R e c l a i m is c o n s i d e r e d indispensible for making industrial c e m e n t s ; s u c h p r o d u c t s h a v e l o w vis32
C &Ε Ν
DEC.
15,
19 5 8
cosity a n d a h i g h c o n c e n t r a t i o n of solids. D e s p i t e t h e well s u p p o r t e d c o n t e n tion t h a t r e c l a i m is n o t u s e d in p l a c e of a n y t h i n g e l s e , it is n e v e r t h e l e s s a fact t h a t its c o n s u m p t i o n rises w h e n p r i c e s for new r u b b e r t e n d to a d v a n c e . O v e r t h e long term, natural a n d synthetic have declined, however. The r e c o r d of t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Rubber Study Group, London, shows that natural rubber was 22.01 cents per p o u n d in 1 9 4 8 . 5 9 . 0 7 c e n t s in 1 9 5 1 , a n d 3 4 . 1 7 c e n t s in 1 9 5 6 . It is a r o u n d 30 c e n t s c u r r e n t l y . S y n t h e t i c ( S B R ) w a s I S 1 L. c e n t s in 1948, 2 5 c e n t s in 1 9 5 1 . a n d 2 3 . 8 1 c e n t s in 1 9 5 6 . Today. SBR ranges from a b o u t 19 c e n t s a p o u n d for oile x t e n d e d g r a d e s to 2 4 . 1 c e n t s for r e g u lar S B R . R e c l a i m h a s b e e n as low as 6 cents per p o u n d ( 1939). An average currentK· w o u l d b e a r o u n d 1 1 cents, t h e r a n g e b e i n g 9"· 4 to 2 2 c e n t s d e p e n d i n g on g r a d e . T h e i n d u s t r y is g o v e r n e d b v r i g i d s p e c i f i c a t i o n s for s c r a p r u b b e r , its r a w m a t e r i a l . P r o g r e s s h e r e as w e l l as in t e c h n o l o g y is d u e in a m e a s u r e to t h e
a c t i v i t i e s of t h e R u b b e r Reclaimers Association. It is t h e s c r a p d e a l e r s t a s k to s o r t o u t t h e raw m a t e r i a l b y g r a d e s — n a t u r a l , s \ n t h e t i c , a n d c o m b i n a t i o n s of b o t h . S i l i c o n e r u b b e r s c r a p is a n e x a m p l e of the newer synthetics currently confronting an industry w h i c h o n c e w a s c o n cerned only with natural r u b b e r . Silicone reclaim can b e m i x e d b a c k i n t o v i r g i n s i l i c o n e r u b b e r to t h e e x t e n t of 2 0 ' < or m o r e . S i l i c o n e r u b b e r is e x p e n s i v e , a n d r e c l a i m , c o m b i n e d w i t h t h e virgin p r o d u c t , c a n h e l p t o cut the price back. O t h e r synthetics t h a t h a v e r a i s e d new p r o b l e m s f o r r e claimers are nitrile, s t y r è n e b u t a d i e n e , poK a c r \ l a t e , c a r b o x y l i c , H y p a l o n , p o l y ester, p o l y u r e t h a n e . a n d fluoro elastomers. Xeoprene has b e e n reclaimed for m a n y y e a r s . • Chemicals Used. U s e s for c h e m i cals in r e c l a i m i n g a r e n u m e r o u s a n d v a r i e d . I n t r o d u c t i o n of t h e first l a r g e tonnage synthetic. C R - S ( n o w S B R ) , b r o u g h t new p r o b l e m s . T o r e c l a i m this t y p e , a n e w c l a s s of d e p o l y m e r i z i n g a g e n t s h a d to b e u s e d , l e d by t h e a r o m a t i c disulfides. T i r e s c r a p is a c t u a l l y a c o m b i n a tion of half s y n t h e t i c a n d h a l f n a t u r a l . T h e natural c o m p o n e n t k e e p s softeni n g u n d e r t h e h e a t of t h e r e c l a i m i n g p r o c e s s , w h i l e t h e s y n t h e t i c first s o f t e n s and then hardens d u e to crosslinking. T h e c h e m i c a l o b j e c t i v e is t o b r i n g t h e s e
WEEK'S PRICE CHANGES
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. ECHNiCAL
December 8, 1958
ON
. ("rml··. tiinU* K
