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The rubber additive industry is launching a green initiative.

2012-03-22

China's rubber additive industry, which plays a crucial role in the international market, is fully tackling the clean production processes of products such as accelerator M. "Only by accelerating the replacement of toxic and harmful products can we be considered world-class," said Xu Chunhua, vice president of the China Rubber Industry Association and chairman of the Rubber Additives Professional Committee, at the 2010 China Rubber Industry New Materials Technology Forum held last week. He pointed out that achieving clean production is still the key to the current development of the rubber additive industry.

Xu Chunhua stated that tackling the clean production process of accelerator M is a top priority, and it should be achieved by improving reaction yield through research on reaction kinetics and adjusting catalytic systems, while reducing the emissions of "three wastes". At the same time, a solvent-based refining route should be developed to eliminate the generation of salt-containing wastewater. He introduced that currently, Tianjin Organic Chemical Plant No. 1 and Tianjin Kemai Chemical Co., Ltd. have already achieved results in this area. Relevant units are applying for the "12th Five-Year" technology support plan project. This project will organize major enterprises to work together, striving to achieve clean production of accelerator M in 2 to 3 years, build a demonstration production line with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons, and promote it throughout the industry. In addition, with the promotion of the oxidation process of sulfonamide-based accelerators using oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, as well as the development and application of the high thermal stability insoluble sulfur gasification method, China will truly become a strong country and leader in the world rubber additive industry.

Pre-dispersed masterbatch particles are the final products of rubber additives and a clean process component for downstream applications. Xu Chunhua introduced that China's pre-dispersed masterbatch particle production facilities at the ten-thousand-ton level have basically been completed. The successful development and promotion of pre-dispersed rubber additives will lead to significant changes in the types of rubber additives in China, greatly enhancing the overall competitiveness of China's rubber additives.

It is understood that China has made significant achievements in structural adjustments and the replacement of toxic and harmful substances in rubber additives. The green production technologies for antioxidant 4020, silane coupling agents, and cobalt salt bonding enhancers are already at the forefront of the world, with the output of green rubber additive products exceeding 90% of the total output of rubber additives. In the future, the focus will be on using super accelerators TBZTD (tetrabenzylthiuram disulfide) and TiBTM (tetrabenzylthiuram) to replace TMTD, TMTM, and amine carbamate ZDC, which produce carcinogenic nitrosamines, and using DBD (2,2'-diphenyl-2-thiobenzamide) to replace pentachlorophenol-based chemical plasticizers; developing environmentally friendly aromatic oils to quickly meet the needs of the tire industry.

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