LANXESS India showcases innovations in rubber technologies at IRC 2010

LANXESS India, a specialty chemicals company has participated in the three day global rubber conference held at Hotel Renaissance on 16th, 18th and 19th November in Mumbai. All five business units pertaining to rubber, namely, Butyl Rubber, Performance Butadiene Rubber, Technical Rubber products, Rhein Chemie (polymer bound Rubber chemicals) and Rubber Chemicals presented on the new and upcoming technologies and their applications in their respective domains.

Heike Kloppenburg, LANXESS Global RD scientist for business unit Performance Butadiene Rubbers, explained the improved grades of synthetic rubber meant for high performance tyres. A specific example would be NdBR (Neodymium Butadiene Rubber) including LANXESS Buna CB 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, a technology leader in this grade of rubber. This rubber, with extremely high linearity, would reduce the energy dissipation in rubber compounds thus aid applications such as lower rolling resistance for tyres or, higher rebound for golf balls. NdBR is used in tires (mainly tread and side wall, car and truck), golf balls and HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene.

Benz Li, LANXESS APAC Regional Technical Marketing Manager for business unit Butyl Rubber and Performance Butadiene Rubbers, introduced another group of rubbers from LANXESS SSBR (Styrene-butadiene rubber) such as LANXESS Buna VSL 5025, VSL 5025-2, VSL 2438 and various functionalized grades. SSBR (Solution is used in tyre applications, especially in treads with Silica technology. He threw light on the impact of SSBR technology in reducing fuel consumption and cutting down carbon dioxide emissions. SSBR is used to optimize the magic triangle of the tyre, especially the balance between safety or, wet grip and rolling resistance. Here, he elaborated on the correlation between chemical structure (like microstructure of the polymer) and resulting properties in tyre compounds.
He also explained the chemical structure of polybutadiene rubber and the final properties in tyre applications.

Another grade of rubber discussed was S-SBR (Solution – SBR). SSBR is used in tyre applications, especially in treads with Silica technology. He threw light on the impact of SSBR SSBR technology in reducing fuel consumption and cutting down carbon dioxide emissions. SSBR is used to optimize the magic triangle of the tyre, especially the balance between safety or, wet grip and rolling resistance. Here, he elaborated on the correlation between chemical structure (like microstructure of the polymer) and resulting properties in tyre compounds.
He also explained the chemical structure of polybutadiene rubber and the final properties in tyre applications.

Hans Magg, Head, Center of Excellence, Nitrile Rubber (NBR) LANXESS talked about the various curing system for synthetic rubbers. As LANXESS is one of the largest manufacturers of synthetic rubber, selection of crosslinking system is extremely important to get optimum properties in the high performance rubber products for a variety of applications across tyre and non-tyre industries. The paper that he presented highlights various crosslinking systems, which can be used for all kind of polymers including specialties like Fluro Elastomer (FKM) and Therban, for optimum performance. Some of the solutions that he discussed were – cure site technologies (an alternative to the sulphur system), crosslinking systems involving halogen and halogen-free crosslinking system via nucleophilic reactions.

Dr.Wigand Braune, Application Technology Manager, Rheinchemie Germany, LANXESS detailed on the technological improvements in water based marking inks. Currently many tyre manufacturers use solvent based marking inks. Even though water-based inks are available already in the market, the LANXESS product is improved in terms of processing and user friendliness.
Tyre manufacturers can easily reduce VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) quantity in tire plants by replacing solvents based tread marking inks with water based Rhenomark®. The goal is to become free of volatile organic solvents, no matter how much the affected work place already improved in the past.

Dr. Hermann-Josef Weidenhaupt, LANXESS Deutschland GmbH, Leverkusen and Kishor Katkar, LANXESS India Private Limited, from the business unit Rubber Chemicals presented a new product/technology 'Vulcuren' to the esteemed audience. This is a novel hybrid crosslinker which acts as an anti-reversion agent as well as environmental and scorch safe Secondary accelerator, as replacement for DPG (diphenyl guanidine) which is known to split off toxic Aniline during vulcanization. This clearly demonstrates that innovation is a driving factor for growth at LANXESS. This is extremely relevant for exports of tyres from India to Europe where tyre labeling shall be made mandatory from November 2012, with countries like USA and Japan expected to follow soon. Also companies who are developing high performance tyres for passenger cars that have low rolling resistance (fuel efficiency) and better wet grip will see significant value from this latest technology introduced by LANXESS.


About International Rubber Conference Organisation (IRCO) :
The International Rubber Conference Organisation (IRCO) is an association of rubber societies around the world which plan the calendar for the main international rubber conferences. By careful selection of conference proposals and monitoring of events, the IRCO ensures that all conferences run by its member societies meet the very demanding requirements dictated by the IRCO and thus provide delegates with first-class conferences.