By Dr Sunil E Fernando

The natural rubber tree converts a greenhouse gas to a hydrocarbon. It is also capable of delivering it in commercially viable quantities almost on a daily basis, unlike any other. In addition, it retains some carbohydrates produced over a 30-year period, as medium density hardwood. This natural process of the biosynthesis of two products not only sustains the farmer, but also reduces the impact on global warming to some extent due to carbon dioxide extraction. Thus, preserving existing rubber plantations and cultivating more, especially in marginal lands, will help to mitigate an imbalance created due to the production of excessive quantities of a greenhouse gas

Benefits of Growing Rubber: Hevea brasiliensis or the rubber tree began its epic journey in 1875, when Sir Henry Wickham brought 70,000 seeds from Rio Tapajos in the upper Amazon to Kew gardens in London. Of these, 1911 seedlings were planted in Gampaha botanical gardens, Sri Lanka, initiating an agricultural revolution in South East Asia and an industrial revolution globally. Apart from giving 14 million tons of Natural Rubber (NR) consumed annually worldwide, the tree has other attributes listed below.

 Extracting 24.9 kilograms of Carbon dioxide (CO2) Greenhouse gas (GHG) to produce one Kilogram of latex

 Yielding 2.1 cubic meters/tree of wood from GHG as biomass, every 30-year cycle

 Produce easily biodegradable litter, compared to monocultures like Teak

 Require less chemical fertilisers, water and pesticides

 Retains biodiversity as a tropical plant and co-exists with other species allowing for intercropping

The uniqueness of the rubber tree is its ability to fix CO2 almost instantaneously into a hydrocarbon on a daily basis, with water and energy from sunlight while nature took millions of years converting biomass to a hydrocarbon, Petroleum. The tree is a natural solar panel trapping energy from the Sun, propagating a chemical reaction giving a hydrocarbon, while releasing Oxygen to the atmosphere and accumulating a timber resource. Tapped from year 5, the tree removes a GHG every other day, unlike any other plant species, for 11 months of the year for 25 years.

Why Excess CO2 is bad

CO2 present in the atmosphere is a double-edged sword. "CO2-Earth" reports, its concentration increased from 330 ppm in 1975 to 408.55 in September 2019, and further to 410.27 in November 2019. CO2 absorbs Infrared radiation (heat radiation) from the Sun through molecular vibrations, and emit this energy unlike gases like Nitrogen and Oxygen. Ozone, Methane and Nitrous Oxide are other GHG's, which absorb energy from the sun and similarly emit heat, warming the atmosphere.

However, GHG's maintains atmospheric temperatures without converting Earth into an ice ball. Nevertheless, high concentration of GHG in atmosphere, emit more heat to sustain global warming due to an imbalance created by excessive human activity like burning fuel, rearing of cattle/sheep, giving-off excessive CO2 and Methane, respectively. Two confirmed methods to lower ill effects of GHG are, produce less and increase plant cover.

CO2 is the raw materials for all forms of Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats produced by plants providing for growth and energy in life forms. What is alarming is the excess CO2 produced, accumulating in the atmosphere, and in Oceans. Dissolved CO2 in seawater, raises temperature and forms Carbonic acid, increasing Ocean acidification. Ocean acidification reduces the ability of sea creatures to fix Calcium as Calcium Carbonate, another form of Carbon sink.

Carbon Dioxide Accumulation Antoine Lavoisier said, in a chemical reaction matter is neither created nor destroyed. Producing GHG through human intervention, new matter is not created but it leads to an unsustainable imbalance of matter in the environment. This is what causes the problem.

Figure 1. Figure 1. Representation of the CO2 Cycle (https://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/carbon/2a.html)

CO2 is a GHG not only produced by burning fuels and biomass. Humans exhale One Kilogram of it daily. Increase in population does not increase CO2, as exhaled balances out by inhaling. But when human population went up from 1 billion 200 years ago to 7 billion now, increase in human activity led to an imbalance in the atmosphere and the Oceans due to release of CO2 and Methane. Biomass generation too is dwindling due to the population pressure. Thus, this imbalance of accumulating matter capable of absorbing heat is the main reason for global warming.

Biosynthesis of Natural Rubber About 2000 plant species produce NR, but Hevea brasiliensis produce commercially exploitable dispersion in water as latex. The biological reason for NR production is not clear, but it may prevent pathogenic microorganisms entering the tree. Latex is found in horizontally arranged interconnected cells called laticifer, in the bark of the tree, High yielding plantations with about 400 trees per hectare have reported a production of 2500 Kg/NR /Year. The theoretical yield potential is estimated at, 7,000 to 10,000 kg/Ha/Year. A tree giving 15 to 30g of rubber per day, tapping on alternative days yields 2.2-4.5 Kg of NR per year. According to Apollo Vredestein R and D, on average 1.9 Kg of NR goes into a tire and a tree produces enough rubber to make 2 tires per year or 50 in lifetime.

Plants take in CO2 for survival. Some converts part into an edible form, as carbohydrate and fats while the rest is converted to forms like cellulose. These may end up as wood, becoming a Carbon sink for a length of time. In rubber trees, the process extends converting part of CO2 to a rubber hydrocarbon containing Carbon and Hydrogen, more akin to Petroleum. This wonder tree makes a hydrocarbon in few minutes, while nature took millions of years to convert biomass derived from CO2 to Petroleum.

The biosynthetic pathway for NR in Hevea begins with the monomer precursor, Isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP). IPP is an adduct of Pyrophosphoric acid and Isoprene monomer. However, IPP is not an uncommon material, limited to Hevea, but is formed from carbohydrates, in other plants, algae, bacteria, in mammals and humans. The formation of IPP is said to occur by following two pathways; Mevalonate (MVA) or non-mevalonate (non-MVA), deoxy-xylulose pathway. In rubber trees, breakdown products from carbohydrates like Pyruvates and Glyceraldehydes are transformed into IPP, in Cytosol in Cytoplasm/Plastids in plant cells, in several stages in the presence of many enzymes like mevalonate kinase (MVK) and mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase (MVD). Figure 2.

Figure 2 Representation of the Formation of IPP through MVA and Non-MVA Pathways (Chiang. C. C. K, 2013, PhD Thesis, the Graduate Faculty of the University of Akron).

On isomerisation with enzyme, Isomerase IPP is converted to Dimethyl allyl pyrophosphate (DMPP). IPP and DMPP are building blocks for diverse groups of bio-molecules like Cholesterol, Vitamin K, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and Cis-polyisoprene (NR). Figure 3

Figure 3 Pathway to NR Biosynthesis

In rubber producing Russian dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz Rodin), enzyme transformation of sugars enrich NR formation. In the summer months, dandelions produce excess sugars and store it as Inulin. The possibility of metabolic engineering assisted enzyme degradation of Inulin to enhance production of IPP and then to NR has been explored for dandelion. Meanwhile Researchers have succeeded in decoding the Genome sequence in Hevea. This can lead to high yielding rubber clones, by locating genes responsible for biosynthesis of rubber.

Latex with 30% NR and 5% non-rubbers is produced in special cells called laticifers located horizontally and a lateral cut of the bark exposes most number, giving latex. Since the laticifer density is genotype dependant determining latex yield, it can give the direction for biologists as a selection marker for high yielding clones. In older rubber trees chemicals inducing Ethylene formation in the bark-tissue or generated it in situ like 2-Chloroethylphosphonic acid, are used as yield stimulants. Such developments, together with appropriate nutrition infusion, can increase NR yields, making rubber cultivation attractive to farmers.

Chloroethylphosphonic acid

Hevea brasiliensis is a dual-purpose tree, making Carbon sinks from CO2 in two ways, as a hydrocarbon and as wood, extracted in a 30-year cycle. Plants like wheat and rice also fix CO2 to give edible Carbohydrates, often twice a year. Nevertheless, human/animal consumption of edible carbohydrates quickly gives CO2 back to the environment. Thus with respect to environmental benefits, producing NR by growing rubber trees is a more favourable option. Fortunately, rubber cultivation has increased from 9.9 in 1975 to 14.0 million hectares in 2018 giving these benefits worldwide.

Preserving and enhancing rubber cultivation

The rubber farmer does a silent service by extracting latex and thus removing substantial quantity of GHG on a daily basis. As NR based products stay longer in service, Carbon in it remains intact for a longer period without burdening the environment. Each tree has the uncanny ability to function as a tap, working 150 days a year to clean up the environment unlike other plant-based options. It leaves a raw material as timber derived from GHG, extracted in every 30-year cycle giving 50 Kg of wood/tree. The global potential for wood at a replanting rate of 3% of acreage annually is, approx 7.30 Mn Tons/ year.

The environmental benefits can be maximised if the farmer taps the tree every other day for 11 months of the year if their livelihood is secularly safeguarded. Going into alternatives for from existing land is counterproductive to the environment. The negative process will occur only if the farmer finds the daily sustenance by growing rubber becomes a hard task. To encourage the farmer, requires a collective and a concerted effort from:

 Buyers giving stable/reasonable price

 Biologists developing fast growing, high yielding, drought and disease resistant trees

 Cultivation experts developing new and less-laborious extraction techniques and attractive intercropping practices

 Technologists adding value to existing NR products and developing new products

• Chemists by modification to give new elastomeric materials from NR as raw materials for other processes

• Environmentalists by increasing international awareness of the benefits of growing rubber

With respect to increased appreciation of the capability of modified NR forms, an enterprising tire manufacturer uses Epoxidised NR/Silica combination in automobile tire treads, to give higher wet grip and low rolling resistance tires. Such greener tires used in hybrid and electric cars, made these vehicles more environmental friendly. Olefinic elastomers like NR, contains reactive double bonds with potential to be modified as raw materials in many applications. Table 1, Figures 4 and 5. Such developments will give impetus to the sustainability and growth of an industry, benefitting the rubber farmer while fixing more GHG as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENDS

References:

1. Bhowmik. I (2006), Tripura Rubber Mission Technical Bulletin 2. https://www.co2.earth/

3. Rao. P. S, et.al (1998), Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 3, 90

4. Chiang. C. C. K (2013), Natural rubber biosynthesis, PhD Thesis, The Graduate Faculty of The University of Akron, USA 5. Decoding the rubber tree genome, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160624100225.htm

 

 

Dr Sunil E Fernando is Former Executive Director, DPL Group, Sri Lanka, Managing Director Dipped Products (Thailand) Limited, Former Director, DPL Plantations and Kelani Valley Plantations Limited, Sri Lanka, and a Consultant - Latex Products

HS HYOSUNG ADVANCED MATERIALS participated in the China Composite Expo 2026 (CCE 2026), held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai from 1 to 3 September. This annual event stands as Asia’s largest specialised exhibition for composite materials, drawing a significant global audience.

The company has been a consistent participant in CCE since 2013, leveraging the expo to progressively reinforce its foothold in the Asian market. At this year’s showcase, the strategic focus was on its portfolio of high-performance carbon fibre products, which are increasingly recognised as essential materials for advanced sectors including energy, mobility and aerospace due to their superior tensile strength and modulus.

Central to the presentation were actual samples of TANSOME, the company’s proprietary carbon fibre brand developed through in-house technologies. The exhibit featured a diverse range of applications, from mobility components like automotive wheels, hoods and brake discs to sporting goods such as hockey sticks and pickleball rackets, as well as high-pressure vessels for hydrogen and oxygen, drones and wire cores.

In parallel, HS HYOSUNG ADVANCED MATERIALS emphasised its robust manufacturing capabilities and stable supply chain, supported by production bases in Korea, China and Vietnam. This strategy reinforces its standing as a leading global carbon fibre manufacturer. Notably, the company achieved a milestone in 2011 as the first in Korea to independently develop TANSOME, a material 4 times lighter and 10 times stronger than steel. This was followed by the 2022 launch of H3065, a T-1000-grade fibre with strength exceeding steel by over 14 times, designed for demanding aerospace applications.

Jin Dal Lim, CEO, HS HYOSUNG ADVANCED MATERIALS, said, “This exhibition is an important opportunity to further strengthen strategic partnerships with global customers and demonstrate the outstanding technological capabilities of HS HYOSUNG’s carbon fibre. We will continue to build deeper trust in the global market based on world-class product quality and stable supply capabilities.”

Bekaert has taken a decisive step towards reshaping its operational footprint in Sardinia by securing a preliminary deal with Nuova Icom, a local engineering entity. The arrangement paves the way for the handover of the Macchiareddu premises and guarantees job continuity for the existing staff stationed there, subject to the final stipulations of the contract.

The decision stems from long-term turbulence in the tyre sector, which has steadily undermined the commercial viability of the plant's primary output. With tyre cord manufacturing struggling to remain profitable amidst evolving industry dynamics, the company concluded that a fundamental operational shift was unavoidable.

This initiative follows an extensive search for sustainable alternatives, emphasising regional employment preservation. Bekaert remains attuned to the social ramifications of the transition and pledges to engage transparently with all affected parties. The prospective ownership change is scheduled for completion by October 2026, pending regulatory clearances and the finalisation of employee consultations.

Every day, tyre recyclers face the same challenge: processing more tyres while maintaining sorting quality, protecting equipment and meeting increasing traceability requirements. Every misidentified tyre represents lost value. Every hidden contaminant can lead to costly downtime. Every manual operation limits productivity.

As tyre volumes continue to grow worldwide, the question is no longer whether tyre sorting should be automated. It is how quickly operators can adopt technologies that make their facilities more efficient, more reliable and more profitable.

As a specialist in intelligent tyre identification, sorting and traceability solutions, REGOM is actively contributing to this transformation through technologies designed to help recyclers process more tyres, improve sorting quality and gain better visibility over their operations.

Through artificial intelligence, advanced inspection technologies and digital traceability, the company is helping transform end-of-life tyres from a waste stream into a valuable resource.

SMARTER TYRE SORTING THROUGH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

For decades, tyre sorting relied heavily on manual inspections performed by experienced operators. While this approach remains valuable, it can be time-consuming and difficult to scale as tyre volumes continue to increase.

To address these challenges, REGOM has developed intelligent tyre identification technologies capable of automatically reading and analysing tyres in just a few seconds. Powered by artificial intelligence and advanced image recognition, these systems capture and process tyre information in real time, generating reliable data that can immediately be used by operators.

The benefits are significant. Automated identification increases processing capacity through a continuous production flow and automatic evacuation rates of up to 25 percent. It improves sorting consistency, with customers reporting grading quality improvements of up to 3 percent while reducing the risk of human error. By automating repetitive identification and sorting tasks, operators can focus on higher-value activities. Every tyre is identified in just 2.5 seconds and enriched with detailed product data, creating a fully traceable digital record from collection to grading and reporting. This structured database supports regulatory compliance, operational monitoring and data-driven decision-making while preparing facilities for future traceability requirements.

Importantly, artificial intelligence is not designed to replace operators. Instead, it helps redefine their role by automating repetitive tasks and enabling them to focus on activities that require experience, expertise and decision-making. This shift supports higher productivity while creating greater value from human involvement throughout the sorting process.

As the industry continues to evolve, AI-driven sorting is becoming an essential component of modern tyre recycling facilities.

While artificial intelligence enables faster and more reliable identification, another challenge remains: Detecting contaminants hidden in whole tyre or shreds flows.

Some metallic objects or other contaminants not visible during standard inspections may end up in the flow of shreds or whole end-of-life tyres. Once these contaminants enter shredders, pyrolysis units or downstream processing equipment, they can cause costly damage, unplanned maintenance and production downtime.

To address this issue, REGOM has been investing for several years in the development of innovative X-Ray inspection technologies. This new machine aims to detect hidden contaminants before tyres enter critical processing stages. By identifying potential risks at an early stage, operators can better protect their equipment and avoid costly interruptions.

If your shredder or downstream equipment has already suffered unexpected downtime due to hidden contaminants, you already know the consequences: production stops, maintenance costs increase and valuable processing time is lost.

The challenge is that many contaminants remain invisible during traditional inspections and are only discovered once they have reached critical equipment.

This is where X-Ray technology can make a significant difference. By detecting hidden metallic objects and other contaminants before tyres enter shredders, pyrolysis units or other processing equipment, operators can reduce risks, protect critical assets and maintain smoother operations.

The benefits extend throughout the entire recycling process: lower maintenance costs, improved equipment availability, increased operational reliability and ultimately higher productivity.

“The X-Ray solution we are developing directly addresses our customers’ need to automate their operations, making them more reliable and consistent in an increasingly challenging labour market.

The X-Ray solution we are developing directly addresses our customers’ need to automate their operations, making them more reliable and consistent in an increasingly challenging labour market. This inspection system also helps mitigate a growing risk: fires caused by the increasing number of batteries found in end-of-life tyres. By reducing operational costs while ensuring consistent production, this solution delivers significant operational benefits and enhances overall efficiency,” says Arthur Wagner – CEO, REGOM.

TURNING DATA INTO OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

One of the most significant transformations occurring within the tyre recycling industry is the growing importance of data.

Historically, large quantities of operational information remained unavailable or underutilised. Today, advanced sorting technologies generate valuable data that can be used to improve decision-making across the entire facility.

By combining artificial intelligence, automated identification and digital traceability, operators gain a clearer understanding of incoming tyre flows and sorting performance. This information supports regulatory compliance, facilitates reporting and provides greater transparency throughout the recycling process.

More importantly, data enables continuous improvement. Facilities can identify trends, optimise workflows and make more informed investment decisions based on objective operational insights.

The result is a more efficient, more transparent and more resilient recycling operation.

SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF TYRE RECYCLING IN INDIA

India is one of the world’s most dynamic markets for tyre recycling and resource recovery. As the sector continues to grow, operators face the same challenges seen across the globe: increasing volumes, higher performance expectations and a growing need for traceability.

Recognising this opportunity, REGOM has partnered with PLANNEX to support the deployment of advanced tyre sorting technologies throughout the Indian market.

By combining REGOM’s expertise in intelligent tyre sorting and traceability with PLANNEX’s strong local presence and industry knowledge, the partnership aims to provide Indian recyclers with access to innovative solutions designed to improve productivity, sorting quality and operational performance.

Together, REGOM and PLANNEX share a common vision: helping recyclers unlock greater value from every tyre while supporting the transition towards a more efficient and sustainable circular economy.

THE FUTURE OF TYRE RECYCLING

The future of tyre recycling is not simply about processing larger quantities of tyres. It is about understanding each tyre better, managing resources more effectively and extracting maximum value from every material entering the recycling stream.

Through artificial intelligence, advanced inspection technologies and data-driven decision-making, REGOM is contributing to this transformation by helping operators build safer, smarter and more efficient recycling facilities.

The challenge is no longer simply to process more tyres. The challenge is to extract more value from every tyre entering the recycling stream.

In mixing room, rotor seal oil is chronically contaminated by carbon black, oxidation products, metal wear debris and mechanical impurities. During the vulcanisation process, hydraulic oil frequently suffers from contamination and system malfunctions caused by the ingress of moisture and particulates, as well as the formation of sludge and varnish. When oil shifts from a protective medium for equipment to a source of operational risk, profits are continuously – and often invisibly – drained away.

For a typical tyre factory, oil-related expenditures can reach millions of dollars annually. However, industrial waste oil should not be viewed merely as hazardous waste awaiting disposal. Through TMSI’s advanced oil purification and regeneration technologies, contaminated oil can be purified, regenerated and reintroduced into the production cycle – transforming it from a one-time consumable into a recyclable production resource that delivers quantifiable, sustainable value.

MIXER SEAL OIL REGENERATION: 90% OFF-LINE RECYCLING

Seal oil in internal mixer rotors suffers from severe contamination and rapid consumption. Traditional filtration methods struggle to simultaneously address oxides, acidic substances, mechanical impurities and micro-contaminants. Centred on patented electro-sorption and micron-level precision filtration technologies, the TMSI regeneration system selectively captures polar contaminants. It transforms waste oil into reusable, regenerated oil while maximising the retention of the base oil’s active components.

The system enables 90 percent off-line recycling of waste oil, with a processing capacity of 1.5 tonnes per 8-hour batch. Calculations for a typical project – such as a tyre manufacturer generating 240 tonnes of waste seal oil annually – show potential comprehensive annual savings of approximately USD 280,000 and a payback period of less than one year. Furthermore, the use of clean oil minimises scratching on sealing surfaces, prevents sticking caused by gum deposits and reduces wear on critical components, thereby lowering the risks of leakage, downtime and quality fluctuations.

HYDRAULIC OIL PURIFICATION: NO SHUTDOWN, NO OIL CHANGE, 100% CLOSED-LOOP ONLINE PURIFICATION

The core value of hydraulic oil purification is not only to extend the life of the oil but also to prevent maintenance from interrupting production. The TMSI hydraulic oil online circulation purification system is connected to the hydraulic station in a bypass mode and continuously removes moisture, particulate matter, sludge, paint film and oxidised pollutants during equipment operation, allowing the hydraulic oil to recover its performance in a closed-loop cycle, instead of waiting until the oil is out of control before shutting down for oil changes.

The system flow rate covers 30 L/h to 150 L/h, adapting to different tank volumes; after purification, the moisture can be reduced to less than 0.03 percent, and the cleanliness is better than NAS level 8 and can be further improved to approximately NAS level 7 in actual applications. Under normal circumstances, the hydraulic oil change interval is about 1–2 years; when contamination increases, it may be shortened to 3–6 months. Online purification not only reduces the purchase of new oil and the disposal of hazardous waste but also helps reduce the risk of valve core sticking, lagging action, hydraulic cylinder corrosion and internal leakage, ensures the stability of the mould closing force of the vulcanising machine and the consistency of the vulcanisation quality and allows equipment management to shift from post-repair to pre-protection.

PATENTED COMPOSITE FILTER ELEMENT: ENHANCING THE PURIFICATION CAPABILITIES OF EXISTING SYSTEMS

For hydraulic systems already in operation, the TMSI patented composite filter element offers a streamlined, rapid upgrade path. Designed to fit existing system interfaces, it enables an immediate boost in fluid purification performance – enhancing the equipment’s ability to remove water and impurities while improving acid values – simply through a direct replacement of the filter element.

Leveraging material modification and structural optimisation, the composite filter element achieves multi-stage purification within a single unit. It offers filtration precision ranging from 0.5 to 30 μm and consistently maintains oil moisture levels below 300 ppm through recirculating purification. Its high dirt-holding and water-absorbing structure extends service life; under standard operating conditions, the replacement interval reaches six months or longer, allowing existing equipment to achieve superior, long-lasting fluid management capabilities with minimal investment.

FROM HAZARDOUS WASTE COST TO CIRCULAR ASSET: REDEFINING THE VALUE OF INDUSTRIAL OIL

From North America to Latin America and from Asia to Europe, TMSI’s oil purification solutions are consistently proving stability, adaptability and long-term operational value for more and more manufacturers.

TMSI is transforming industrial oil consumption from the traditional ‘consume-replace-dispose’ model to a circular ‘purify-regenerate-reuse’ model, an approach successfully implemented in the tyre industry.

When waste oil ceases to be merely a cost item on a hazardous waste list and instead becomes a circular asset – capable of being purified, re-evaluated and reintroduced into the production system – fluid management shifts from a routine maintenance task to a strategic factor directly impacting consumable costs, downtime losses, investment payback periods and ESG performance. Returning waste oil to the production line represents more than just an upgrade in oil purification; it paves a new path for tyre factories towards lean, low-carbon and highly resilient operations.