What is the source of rubber?

What is the source of rubber?

Natural rubber is obtained from latex, a milky liquid present in either the latex vessels (ducts) or in the cells of rubber-producing plants. Around 20,000 species of plants produce latex, but only 2,500 species have been found to contain rubber in their latex.

What is the main component of natural rubber?

polyisoprene, polymer of isoprene (C5H8) that is the primary chemical constituent of natural rubber, of the naturally occurring resins balata and gutta-percha, and of the synthetic equivalents of these materials.

Where is rubber found?

Rubber trees are grown in regions that are hot and moist, that is:

• in Africa (250 000 tons of natural rubber);
• in Central and South America (31 700 tons of natural rubber)
• in Asia, which is the chief producer (3 207 100 tons of natural rubber).

How do you make natural rubber?

Natural rubber is extracted by method called tapping, by making incisions into the bark and collecting the fluid into vessels attached to the rubber trees. The liquid is a sticky, milky sap called latex, and requires a couple of steps before it will be sold as natural rubber.

What is natural rubber example?

Example : Neoprene , Vulcanized rubber, etc.

Is rubber bad for the environment?

Rubber tires also leach hazardous materials into the environment as they decompose. Recycling rubber materials for use as mulch has been one solution that many view as environmentally friendly, but the effects of using rubber as mulch material are similar to spreading the problem around your garden.

Where is the natural rubber?

Natural rubber is made up of solid particles suspended in a milky white liquid (called latex) that drips from the bark of certain tropical and subtropical trees. This latex rubber is mainly found in countries like Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka .

What are the properties of natural rubber?

Natural rubber has certain unique properties such as follows: Natural rubber combines high strength (tensile and tear) with outstanding resistance to fatigue. It has excellent green strength and tack which means that it has the ability to stick to itself and to other materials which makes it easier to fabricate.

What are the uses of natural rubber?

Uses of Natural rubber Natural rubber forms an excellent barrier to water. This is possibly the best barrier against pathogens such as the AIDS virus (HIV). Natural rubber is an excellent spring material. Natural rubber latex is also used in catheters, balloons, medical tubes, elastic thread, and also in some adhesives.

Where does latex come from?

Latex is a natural plant substance, but it can also be manufactured by chemical processes. Natural latex is a plant material found most famously in the rubber tree —but it is actually found in almost 10 percent of all plants. For example, opium is actually the dried latex from the opium poppy.