Natural rubber world consumption

In the 1970s there was no argument that, in tonnage terms, SBR was the world s most important rubber. At that time about half of the total global consumption of rubber of about 8 X 10 tonnes per annum was accounted for by SBR. Today natural rubber has about half the market, which has now grown to about 11 X 10 tonnes, and the share of SBR has fallen to about 24%. Nevertheless SBR remains a material of great importance. 

In 2005, nearly 8.6 million tons of natural rubber were produced. Of this amount, 94% was from Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The total world consumption of rubber is around 18 million tons per year with about 20% SBR (styrene butadiene... 

Tyres and related products Pneumatic tyre manufacturing dominates the rubber industry in terms of the quantity of raw rubber consumption. About 50-60% of the rubber produced in the world is used for manufacturing tyres and related items. Tyre products include pneumatic tyres and tubes, sohd tyres, t)n e flaps, retread material, and puncture repair Wts (PRKs). NR is the ideal base material for tyres for aircraft, racing cars, heavy duty vehicles such as trucks and buses, off the road vehicles, and tractors. An oil extended form of natural rubber could be used as base material for the manufacture of winter tyres [61]. 

Up to the time of World War 11, scrap tires contained only natural rubber. Reclaiming processes were well established, and a reasonable proportion (20%) of reclaim was accepted in compounding of new tires. (Frequently, the percentage was much more in other rubber products.) In 1941 the consumption of reclaim was 32% of the consumption of new rubber. 

Although a large number of synthetic elastomers are now available, natural rubber must still be regarded as the standard elastomer because of the excellently balanced combination of desirable qualities. Presently, it accounts for almost 36% of the total world consumption of elastomers, and its gradual replacement by synthetic varieties is partly a result of demand outstripping natural supply. 

World rubber usage of around 25.8 million metric tons is split between natural rubber, which constitutes about 43% of global consumption, and synthetic rubber, of which styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) accounts for 21%. The balance of synthetic rubbers (36%) consists of polybutadiene rubber (BR) and a range of specialty polymers such as polyurethanes, halogenated polymers, silicones, and acrylates. Traditionally, the growth of synthetic and natural rubber consumption is virtually in line with the change in gross domestic product of, collectively. North America, Europe, Japan, China, and India. 

The current world consumption of examination gloves is about 12 X 10 of which some 8 X 10 are used in USA. This product is therefore the largest single item, in tonage terms, made from natural rubber latex (1). 

During 2001, the world s natural rubber consumption was 7.07 million metric tons and 75% of it was... 

One of the miracles of the 20th century was the development - in less than four decades - of a vast and versatile synthetic rubber industry. life as we know it today would be impossible without the several types of synthetic rubbers (1-28) stemming from this miracle and manufactured annually in large quantities by this new industry. The production of synthetic rubbers in the United States increased from negligible quantities in 1940 to about 3 million tons in 1987, when the domestic consumption of natural rubber was much less (1 million tons) (17). In 1983 world rubber production was 12 million tons, of which 70% was synthetic United States 1983 consumption of rubber was approximately 2.5 million tons, of which 75% was S3mthetic (22). 

After the war when natural rubber became available again the consumption of styrene-butadiene rubber began to fall however, the trend was reversed in 1949 with the advent of a copolymer made at low temperature. This product gives a passenger-tyre rubber superior to natural rubber and styrene-butadiene rubbers have remained the most important of the large-tonnage rubbers. With the ever-increasing world consumption of rubbers, the output of styrene-butadiene rubbers has more than doubled since World War II (Table 18.2). 

Most of the world s rubber supply is grown by smallholders, not on estates. World rubber production has increased at only a modest rate over the last two decades. Barlow (3) gives natural rubber production in 1960 as 2 million metric tons and 3.1 million in 1970 the International Rubber Study Group (5) reports production in 1980 as 3.8 million. This is a growth rate of only about 3% a year. This rate does not match increasing total rubber consumption world-wide, and there has been a steady slippage of natural rubber s share of the market from 100% in 1940 to about 30% today. 

About 42% of all rubber consumed in the world is natural rubber (the remaining rubber consumption being synthetic in origin). 

By volume, natural rubber represents about 42 to 46% of all the rubber used in the world today in making tires. It is the largest single volume of consumption at 20 billion pounds in 2010. 

Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand are the three main rubber-producing countries in the world in 1994 they contributed 73% to the world s natural mbber production, which was some 5.7 x 106 t (74). In the early 1990s the relative consumption of natural mbber has remained fairly constant at 38—39% of total mbber consumption, despite competition from synthetic mbber. 

The best known products of macromolecular chemistry are plastics, synthetic rubber and fibres. The world average per capita consumption of plastics exceeded 8 kg (44 kg in the USA and in Japan). The production of synthetic fibres and rubber exceeds the production of the natural materials. A large proportion of these substances is produced by polymerization. 

International Rubber Study Group, Brettenham House, 5-6, Lancaster Place, Strand, London, Rubber Statistical Bulletin, monthly, 1946-. U. S. and world historical data on production, consumption, and supply of natural and synthetic rubber. 

NR belongs to a class of compounds known as elastomers [5]. NR was used for centuries by the Mayans in the Western hemisphere before it was introduced into Europe by Columbus. The term rubber was, however, coined by Joseph Priestly. NR is indispensable in our daily lives. The main uses of NR are concentrated in four key areas, namely medical devices, industrial products, domestic and recreational goods, and foremost automobile products. The current elastomer consumption in the world is 18 million t per year [6]. NR supplies about one-third of the world demand for elastomers. It is also used as an industrial raw material. NR is a naturally occurring elastomeric polymer of isoprene (2-methyl-l,3-butadiene). It can be extracted from latex of only one kind of tree, Hevea braziliensis. Hevea rubber is produced in many tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Africa and Central and South America. There is practically only one other potential source of NR, that is the guayule shrub (Parthenium argentatum). 

Currently the world s consumption of plastics is growing in this regard there are difficulties in disposing of large amounts of household plastic waste. The solution is to develop biodegradable polymers with a specific expiration date. This work is dedicated to the creation of biodegradable composite material based on LDPE, wood flour and rubbers of different nature. 

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