The water used as the reaction medium in the emulsion polymerization of SBR was treated with a tannin-based derivative. The rubbers obtained were compounded and compared with a reference composition prepared with a rubber polymerized in water treated according to the conventional aluminum sulfate method. Mechanical properties, before and after ageing, were evaluated and were found to be of comparable magnitude, as long as no excess tannin is present in the emulsion reaction medium.
Abstract:The toxicity of residues formed during water treatment is mainly a function of the chemicals used. The inorganic flocculants, when used, give rise to compounds harmful to humans and to the environment. An alternative solution is the use of tannins. However, despite the environmental benefits, when using tannin-based products in the treatment of industrial water, modifications may be imparted to the final product. In this work, tannin was evaluated as flocculating agent to treat the water used in the emulsion polymerization to produce SBR. The results show that good stability of the latex and acceptable color in the rubber can be achieved.
The use of products from vegetal source, as tannins, in the treatment of industrial waters has been the focus of increasing attention since it contributes to a reduction of the toxicity brought about by the residues generated during the water treatment process. Nevertheless, in an industrial plant any modifi cation to be introduced in the production process has to meet a few standards as the new procedures can alter the characteristics of the fi nal product. In this work, tannin was used to treat the water for the production of emulsion SBR and the characteristics of the rubber obtained are evaluated. As SBR is an extensively used general purpose rubber, the properties must be kept as close as possible to those presented by the product prepared with water treated in the conventional way. Thus, a comparative study was done, by carrying out emulsion polymerizations in water treated conventionally with aluminum sulfate or with tannin. The results show that the presence of tannin does not signifi cantly affect the characteristics of the fi nal product as long as its concentration is carefully controlled.
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