Lanxess unveils natural rubber replacement

Cologne, Germany – Lanxess AG has introduced a newly commercialised, ultra-high molecular weight EPDM grade, which, is says, will replace natural rubber in dynamic applications.

Unveiled at the 2014 International Rubber Expo, 14-16 Oct in Nashville, Tennessee, Keltan 9565Q is being targeted at automotive and industrial applications that require improved high temperature resistance – increasingly above that offered by natural rubber.

"With its tailored molecular structure, [the new grade] matches the strength and resilience of natural rubber, while also maintaining these superior properties after high temperature exposure," said Niels van der Aar, head of technical service & application development for Lanxess’ Keltan elastomers business.

The temperature resistance also enables [the EPDM] to be processed at elevated temperatures, thus improving moulding productivity and reducing costs, according to van der Aar.

"The saturated polymer backbone gives EPDM its superior ozone, UV, and heat resistance properties,” van der Aar further explained. “Taking advantage of these benefits has long been of interest for dynamic applications, but only now with [the new grade] does EPDM also offer the strength, fatigue resistance, and resilience achieved by natural rubber at lower temperatures.”