The Rubber Road: Plantations to Auto Plants
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
Rubber is a critical component of the modern world. From tires in cars and airplanes, to gaskets and seals, to sneaker treads, the material has technical characteristics which make it exceptionally helpful to the global standard of living. However, the 30 million tons needed annually put strain on the natural environment because the product is without a technically equivalent and scalable substitute today. However, there are innovations driving down the impact of this material.
Natural rubber is produced on agricultural monoculture land that replaces highly productive forests of Southeast Asia in 90% of cases. This process causes soil erosion and carbon emissions, and has a high water intensity, not to mention the pesticides that go into the water cycle and harm ecological processes.
Natural rubber is half of the global supply, but synthetics make up the other half. While synthetic production has limited direct impact on biodiversity, it exacerbates issues related to petrochemical refining which require substantial energy. It also emits volatile organic compounds or VOCs.
Sustainability improvements in the industry revolve around recycling to reduce the need for virgin materials. While most rubber is recycled, it’s typically used in low-value end-uses like playgrounds or asphalt, and only a single digit percent is used in new tires. Innovations are being made in both pyrolysis and the devulcanization process, which could reduce virgin demand by half. The specific innovations in the process include the use of biodegradable solvents, microwaves, micro-organisms, and Arduro’s patented non-hazardous chemicals which can result in high-quality recycled rubber for use in the automotive and construction industries.
Ultimately a sustainable production stream of natural rubber in addition to a much more limited supply of low-emissions synthetics represent a viable end-state that should be pursued.
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