How It's Made: Rubber
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Rubber
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There are two kinds of rubber that exist in the world today. Those are natural rubber, which comes from the rubber tree, and synthetic rubber, or synthetic latex. Rubber trees are grown mostly in Southeast Asia and in Africa around the equator, an area referred to as the "rubber belt." Rubber trees need a hot, damp climate in order to grow. The trees are cut diagonally once they reach maturity, and the liquid, rubber sap is harvested and taken to other facilities where the next step of the process, called vulcanization, is begun.
Vulcanization
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Natural rubber is greatly affected by the temperature of the surrounding area. When the temperature is cold, natural rubber becomes stiff and brittle, but in the climes in which it is harvested it becomes malleable and sticky. This is remedied through a process referred to as vulcanization. When the natural rubber is mixed with white lead, sulphur and heat the rubber becomes vulcanized. What this means, practically speaking, is that the rubber is unaffected by regular extremes of hot and cold. Vulcanized rubber can then be used to make products such as raincoats, overshoes, tires and other products, all of which need to retain their shape to be useful.
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Synthetic Rubber
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Synthetic rubber, unlike natural rubber, is made from a variety of chemicals, most of them petroleum-based. Generally speaking, synthetic rubber is made of two different gases; butadiene and styrene. The former is a by-product of petroleum refining, and the latter is captured in the coking process or also during petroleum refining. When these two chemicals are mixed together in a reactor while in the presence of soapsuds, the product that's created is liquid latex. The liquid is then dried into rubber flakes which are washed, packaged and shipped out for use.
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