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Rubber

1) Hevea brasiliensis is the most important source of natural rubber. Seeds were originally sent from Brazil to Singapore and Malaysia in the late 1800s, establishing the rubber industry in Asia. 2) Rubber trees are tapped using a spiral cut, which is repeated every 1-3 days to extract the latex without killing the tree. The latex is coagulated using acids to produce rubber sheets or blocks. 3) Malaysia is currently the second largest producer of natural rubber after Thailand, with other major producers being Indonesia, India, and Vietnam. Guayule is a potential alternative source of latex in arid regions, as it does not cause the allergic reactions that some have to latex from

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Esteban Rozo
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36 views9 pages

Rubber

1) Hevea brasiliensis is the most important source of natural rubber. Seeds were originally sent from Brazil to Singapore and Malaysia in the late 1800s, establishing the rubber industry in Asia. 2) Rubber trees are tapped using a spiral cut, which is repeated every 1-3 days to extract the latex without killing the tree. The latex is coagulated using acids to produce rubber sheets or blocks. 3) Malaysia is currently the second largest producer of natural rubber after Thailand, with other major producers being Indonesia, India, and Vietnam. Guayule is a potential alternative source of latex in arid regions, as it does not cause the allergic reactions that some have to latex from

Uploaded by

Esteban Rozo
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Tropical Horticulture: Lecture 22

Lecture 22
Rubber
Hevea Rubber Tree: Hevea brasiliensis, Euphorbiaceae

History of Hevea Rubber


A latex yielding plant native to South America
(Amazon region).
There are 9 species of Hevea, of which
Hevea brasiliensis is the most important.
Seeds can be eaten when boiled, oil in seeds can be used
for illumination.
The native Indians of the area used the product to make
dolls and balls; also used it to waterproof moccasins!
The French called it caoutchouc.
1763—French found caoutchouc could be dissolved in
naphtha, suggested use in waterproofing clothing but
it became tacky when warm.

1770—Joseph Priestly discovered that the material would


rub out paper marks, hence the name India rubber,
and now simply “rubber.”
1823—Mackintosh manufactures waterproof raincoats
by coating fabric with rubber dissolved in naphtha.
1824—Hancock suggested plantation growing of rubber.
1839—Goodyear and/or Hancock discovered
vulcanization; when rubber was heated with sulfur,
rubber retained physical properties from 0 to 100°C.
This led to rubber boom.
Interest in rubber with vulcanization process led to
increased demand and exploitation of wild Hevea trees
(Hevea was the native word).
Native tappers (seringuiros) hacked trees and spoiled
them for later tapping.

1
Tropical Horticulture: Lecture 22

1870—Sir Clements Markham of India Office


suggested that rubber along with cinchona (source
of quinine) be obtained from tropical America and
grown in Asia.
1872—James Collins reviewed rubber producing
plants, published monograph entitled Caoutchouc of
Commerce.
1873—Seeds from Brazil sent to Kew Gardens; 12
plants raised and sent to Calcutta, but failed.
1875—Second consignment of seed failed to germinate.
1876—Makham sends Robert Cross to Panama (for
Castilla) and to Para, Brazil where he obtained 1000
plants of Hevea, but no plants reach the East.

At this time H.A. Wickham, an Englishman residing at


Manaus (center of the rubber boom in Brazil), sent
70,000 seed from Central Amazon basin (he received
10 £ /100 seed) in an arrangement financed by the
government of India.
This provided the basis for the world’s rubber
industry.
The seeds were sent to Kew.
Seed has short viability but produced 2899 plants.
Seedlings were sent to Ceylon and 50 plants to
Singapore, and a few to Java.
1888—In Singapore there were 9 trees of the original
introduction, 21 five-year old trees and 1000
seedlings. Ceylon had 20,000 seed.

H.N. Ridley, scientific director of the Botanical gardens at


Singapore developed the rubber industry.
He demonstrated that Hevea was the superior rubber
bearing plant, discovered excision method of extracting
latex, and devised method for coagulating latex, time of
tapping and retapping.
1898—Dunlop rediscovers pneumatic tires (Motor cars
invented in 1885).
(Today, 70% of rubber involves transportation, 6%
footwear, 4% wire and cable).
1898—First planting of Hevea in Malaysia by a Chinese
grower named Tan Chan Yoy.
At this time coffee prices slumped and there was interest
in establishing a new industry.
1910—Rubber boom; rubber reaches $3 a pound.
1956—Ridley dies at the age of 101.

2
Tropical Horticulture: Lecture 22

Ecology and Anatomy


Hevea is a tropical evergreen rainforest tree of the
Amazon basin, grows in the flooded or drained plateau.
Rubber is planted 15°N to 10°S,
temperature of 74–95°F, with well
distributed rainfall, 75–100 inches
per year.
Tree is fast growing, about 24 m
maximum height.
Latex vessels are modified sieve tubes
of the phloem, run
counterclockwise, 2-1/2° to the
vertical.
Thus tapped in clockwise direction

Hevea Rubber
Tree

Rubber Production (2001)


1000
Continent tonnes Chief countries
World 5636
Africa 281 Nigeria (105), Ivory Coast (97), Central
Africa Republic (50)
North America 20 El Salvador (20)
South America 36 Brazil (30)
Asia 5297 Thailand (1667), Indonesia (1312),
Malaysia (1074)
Oceania 3 Papua New Guinea (3)

3
Tropical Horticulture: Lecture 22

Propagation
Seed (used for rootstocks; seed tree can be
identified by seed marking)
Budding
Cutting; only from young (juvenile trees) using mist
propagation. Leafy cuttings can be used but root
system is poor and trees blow over easily
Marcottage (air layering)

Budding Rubber Tree

Budding Nursery

4
Tropical Horticulture: Lecture 22

In New World where South American leaf blight


(Dothidella ulei) is a problem a three part tree may
be produced with a seedling rootstock, a high
yielding trunk, and a leaf blight resistant top.

Planting
Trees are usually planted about 15 × 15 feet apart.

Rubber estate

Tapping

A jeboug knife is used, a


knife with a V-shaped
cutting edge which
leaves a grooved
channel for latex to
flow.
Present method is a single spiral 1/2 diameter of the tree.
Cutting is repeated 1 to 3 days; 1/16" per cut,
7/8" per month, 10" per year.
There are different systems on the length of the spiral and
frequency of cut.

5
Tropical Horticulture: Lecture 22

The intensity of tapping is indicated by the formula


S/2 d/2 =100%

S/1 is a full spiral


S/2 is a half spiral
d/1 is a daily tap
d/2 is a tap on alternate days.
Trees are usually tapped for 6 months and rested for 3
months.
The herbicide 2,4-D or ethephon is used to stimulate
flow.
These prevent sealing of the cut ends.

Tapping rubber tree

6
Tropical Horticulture: Lecture 22

Collecting Latex
Tamo Crumb Rubber
factory, Indonesia

7
Tropical Horticulture: Lecture 22

Processing
There are three types of latex
Liquid—Highest quality
Cup rubber—The cut-lump that
sticks to the plastic cup
Scrap rubber—Strip of rubber
from the cut surface

Coagulation
10–25% ammonia can be added as an anticoagulant
Latex bulked and strained, rubber content 30–35%
Latex diluted with water, poured into coagulation tanks,
with acetic or formic acid (l part 4% formic acid
required for 100 parts 12% latex—more if ammonia is
added).

Processing Rubber

Sawing cup rubber Coagulation tanks

The “curd” is separated from the serum, and squeezed


in rollers to 2-1/2 mm thickness, dried in smoke
house, bailed for export.
Crepe rubber is compressed granular rubber from
sheet rubber that passes through rollers.
Crumbing is the operation that cuts up crepe and
compresses into blocks.

8
Tropical Horticulture: Lecture 22

Guayule Rubber

In the US there has been interest for many years


in obtaining rubber from guayule encouraged by the
strategic need to have a local source of rubber
(Parthenium argentatum, Asteraceae).
Production areas would be the southwestern arid
areas of the United States (particularly Arizona) and
Mexico.

However guayule cannot be tapped and yields do not


compete with Hevea rubber.
However this industry has recently had some
encouragement because a number of people,
particularly health workers, who use rubber gloves
are allergic to Hevea rubber (due primarily to
processing contaminants).
Guayule rubber does not impart this allergic reaction
and a niche market for guayule rubber may
develop.

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