What is synthetic rubber?

Synthetic rubber and the need for sustainability Synthetic rubber refers to any artificial rubber synthesized from monomers derived from petroleum by-products or those of natural origin. The former however made-up bulk of the synthetic rubbers that are in use today.

Are synthetic rubber products sustainable?

Moreover, rubber and plastic products disposal have been a major issue for many decades, causing environmental pollution and the expansion of landfills. Sustainable synthetic rubber products could be realized through the incorporation of materials from biological sources. They are renewable, low cost, and most importantly, biodegradable in nature.

What is the degradability of synthetic rubber in aqueous medium?

The degradability of synthetic rubber in aqueous medium is also an important consideration as the surface of the earth is covered by almost 70% of water. Disposal of synthetic rubber products could end up in aqueous environments such as rivers, lakes and seas due the unethical disposal or accidental leakage from landfills.

How does synthetic rubber affect the environment?

Meanwhile, the high demand for synthetic rubber drastically increases the rate of depletion of fossil fuels and amplifies the adverse environmental effect of overexploitation of fossil fuels. Moreover, rubber and plastic products disposal have been a major issue for many decades, causing environmental pollution and the expansion of landfills.

Does incorporating biologically sourced materials in synthetic rubber improve biodegradability?

The effect of incorporating various types of biologically sourced materials in the synthetic rubbers are also elaborated in detail. Recent progress to improve the sustainability and biodegradability of synthetic rubber by incorporating raw materials from biological sources. 1.0.

Can guayule rubber be used in product innovation?

At present, although not many, there are isolated reports on the use of Guayule rubber in product innovation and these include Guayule/Neoprene blend wetsuits and Guayule-derived tires commercialized by Yulex Corporation and Bridgestone, respectively.