Rubber products are a form of secondary chemical production. It is necessary to understand the fundamentals of basic chemicals and synthetic chemicals production in order to understand the pollution prevention opportunities in the plastic products industries. Most production of rubber products is done by molding of raw materials supplied by natural rubber and synthetic chemical producers. Many kinds of additives are used to give rubber its desired properties. Hot mixes are pressed into rubber sheets that are made into other products. A large proportion of all rubber production is for vehicle tires. Most of the environmental concerns in rubber companies are about air emissions. Changes in product formulation and improvements in air emissions controls are the main environmental protection solutions for air pollution. Energy efficiency is particularly important for this sector because almost all processing uses heat.

Rubber is not easily recycled into new rubber products, so finding new uses for rubber waste is a major concern. Disposal of used tires is an important issue in many areas and there are a number of organizations devoted to this problem. Most of the information about rubber recycling applies to tires. The most common uses of used tires are burning for energy recovery, and grinding and mixing into asphalt for roads. There is little easily-available information about environmental improvements in rubber production. Most solutions focus on better control of processes, minimizing spills and leaks, and energy efficiency.

The table below lists solutions to reduce waste and pollution in rubber production. Company environmental programs should demonstrate that these options have been considered thoroughly. Direct links to online guides to pollution prevention follow the table.

Source: Profile of the Rubber and Plastic Industry. US EPA.

Profile of the Rubber and Plastic Industry is the most comprehensive general report available, with good descriptions of processes and pollution prevention options.

Basic Rubber Concepts is a good overview of rubber production chemistry.

http://www.bright.net/~jackrob/rubber.htm

Envirosense lists about twenty abstracts of pollution prevention case studies for rubber makers.

Tire and Rubber Recycling Advisory Council has many reports available.

Rubber Manufacturers Association

International Tire & Rubber Association

International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers

http://www.iisrp.com/

Plastics Technology