New additive could eliminate all zinc oxide from rubber industry

By David Shaw, ERJ staff

Port Elizabeth, South Africa -- A new additive holds the prospect of eliminating zinc oxide entirely from the tyre and rubber industry's compounding manuals.

This extraordinary claim follows three years of research by Robert Bosch, a young South African chemistry graduate who runs a company called Rubber Nano Products (Pty) Ltd. In case anyone doubts his claims, however, they are backed by respected industry professionals.

As of now, said Bosch, “We can eliminate zinc oxide. Not just reduce it, but eliminate it completely.“ 

There is more. Bosch added, “we have been able to show a 46 percent reduction in cure time for standard sulphenamide / thiazole / thiuram curing packages, and there is no change in scorch time."

He added, almost superfluously, “it is cost-effective."

Bosch's initial focus was in the tyre tread area, but he said he expects there will be products on the market for use by makers of hoses, belts and other non -tyre products during 2009.

Bosch said the new material “changes the way you think about vulcanisation.” The real discovery, he said, is that “we have discovered a method of chemistry that is far more active than zinc oxide.” He estimated that the new material offers a weight reduction of the order of a million-fold with respect to zinc oxide.

This means, he said, that the material is extremely active. It is also bio-safe, environment friendly and "ticks all those boxes too," he added.

Although Bosch was reluctant to release any details of the chemistry, he said, “It alters the dosing levels of accelerators and the behaviour of accelerators. There are no more semi-accelerators, ultra-accelerators or similar concepts. These products behave differently because of the efficiency of the reaction.”

Although the technology remains a secret, Bosch said he has conference papers prepared ready for when he goes properly public with this. “We are waiting until we have the results of the final trials in, but as soon as those are ready, we can stand on a podium and say exactly what we did, how it works and what the new chemistry is and how it offers big savings and other benefits.”

A full article on this subject appears in the coming issue of ERJ