Elastomers for Sustainability – Top 10

London - There are three new entries in the latest Top 10 Elastomers for Sustainability (E4S) ranking of developments with potential to significantly enhance the environmental profile of the rubber/elastomers industry.

With a project titled ‘Increasing the circularity of sulphur-crosslinked natural rubber’, Queen Mary University London exploiting the reversible disulfide bonds of cured NR. The team has reported highly promising results from the addition of specially selected inhibitors to control the reaction. (Related presentation)

Santander, Spain-based engineering company Innventik SL has developed a compact plug-flow pre-polymerisation reactor to held synthetic rubber producers to reduce energy consumption and emissions.  The patented design is also said to “simultaneously deliver more specialised and differentiated products.” (Technical paper)

In Sweden, meanwhile, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has developed two sustainable EPDMs delivering up to a 55% reduction in product carbon footprint (PCF). The rubber grades are created from “raw polymers based on non-fossil sources derived from renewable ingredients such as cooking oil, straw, forestry residue and tall oil.”

Read the full E4S report