DATA ON SYNTHETIC AND NATURAL RUBBER IN THE USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600350012-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 20
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 19, 2011
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: October 2, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION SECRET SECUa
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Scientific - Rubber
HOW
PUBLISHED Monthly periodicals; book
WHERE
PUBLISHED USER
DATE
PUBLISHED 1944 - 1949
LANGUAGE Russian
SOURCE Periodicals and boox as indicated.
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1944 - 1949
DATE DIST. ' 001950
NO. OF PAGES 20
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
DATA ON SYNTHlS AND NATURAL RUBBER IN THE USSR
jffumbers in parentheses refer to appended sources. Figures and tables referred
to are appended,7
b -~.~?iras about 700 kilograms of rub-
The construction ui a ~,o-rn - .?--- _ 1.-
ber. The construction of a tank, about 600kilograms(l).
To establish a basis upon which the Soviet rubber industry could a$so=
lutely depend in war or peace, development in this field has been pushed in
two directions, (1) intensive research has been conducted in the chemistry
and technology of synthetic rubber, and (2)~cult-..vation in the UUSSR of
with yields of crude rubber sufficient in quantity and quality to
dustrial exploitation-has made great progress.
The synthetic rubber industry is of greater importance than the natural
rubber industry because it is capable of greater development. The quality of
synthetic products can be more closely controlled, and tailor-made ellast'omers,
and copolymerisates with any desir?i set of properties can be produced at will.
In addition, the economic advantages of producing rubber by synthetic
methods may be emphasized. In order to produce 100,000 tons of natural crude
rubber, 27 million Revea trees must be cultivated on an acreage of 120,000
hectares and 550,000 man-years of labor expended. The production of 100,000
tons of synthetic rubber (from petroleum) requires the expenditure of only
150,000 man-years.
The postwar Five-Year Plan provides for doubling the production capacity
of the synthetic rubber industry. This, of course, includes the reconstruction
of plants which were destroyed by the Germans during the war. For.instance, thr
first division of the Voronezh Plant imeni S. M. Kirov was completely recon-
structed and modernized so that production could be resumed on 27 Sep ember
1947(2).
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CLASSIFICATION
;TATE
ARMY
NAVY
AIR
MSRS
F131
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c .~.d's?:s~
The synthetic rubber industry was originally designed to use ethyl
alcohol, a fermentation product derived from grain or potatoes, as the pri-
mary starting material. However, the goal has been set to base the syn
thetic rubber industry entirely on the cheaper ethyl alcohol made from wood
cellulose, so that the present drain on valuable food products will no longer
be necessary.
In 1950, 38 percent of the requirements of the synthetic rubber industry
will be covered by the output of industrial plants manufacturing alcohol from
cellulose, in accordance with the current Five-Year Plan(3).
The well-known method of manufacturing ethyl alcohol from ethylene, i. e.,
a by-product of the petroleum industry, also has been studied with the objec-
tive of providing a broader basis in raw material for the USSR's synthetic rub-
ber industry.
In reviewing the development of the rubber industry in the USSR, it ap-
pears logical, then, that a better perspective will be gained by considering
synthetic rubber first.
The USSR's synthetic rubber industry was created in 1931 - 1932 and is
based on the work of S. V. Lebedev and his predecessors and collaborators.
While it is difficult to assign credit to any one chemist in a development
of this character, the work of Lebedev is particularly outstanding so far
as immediate practical applications are concerned. At least, immediate
application of Lebedev's results became possible after 1926, because the
government decided in that year that the development of a synthetic rub-
ber industry was desirable and practicable.
Lebedev started his research on the polymerization of conjugated diole-
fins (butadiene and its derivatives) as early as 1906. Basing his work on
the.known fact that isoprene (2-methyl-1, 3-butadiene) is the elementary com-
pound from which the large molecules of natural rubber are built up and on
the discovery of I. L. Kondakov (1898-1900) that 2,3-dimethyl-1, 3-butadiene,
a purely synthetic homolog of butadiene obtained from acetone, also poly-
merizes and forms a substance which has the properties of natural crude rub-
ber, Lebedev concentrated on butadiene itself and in 1908 7.';1909 first'bbtaided
and studied butadiene rubber.
At about the time Lebedev completed his investigation, the German Dye
scuff Works at Elberfeld patented the synthesis of rubber from butadiene..
The first commercial production of butadiene rubber (buns) took place in the
USSR and was launched 5 years earlier than the first German venture in that
direction. In Germany Buna was first produced in 1936.
In 1913, Lebedev published his classic monograph Investigations on the
Pol erization of Diolefin Hydrocarbons. He established that both polymers
and diners ethenyl-l-cyclohexene-3 in the case of butadiene) are formed as
the result of the polymerization of these hydrocarbons and formulated the
following relationships:
1. As the temperature rises, the quantity of the dimer increases, while
that of the polymer diminishes.
2. At a constant temperature the ratio of the dimer to the polymer re-
mains constant during the process of polymerization.
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3, The process of polymerization is easily influenced by the action of
catalysts.
The practical importance of the first of the relationshi.ps listed above
is self-evident: in order to obtain a good yield of synthetic rubber, the
temperature must be kept as low as possible.
Lebedev's results concerning the influence of the structure of the mo-
nomer on the rate of polymerization can be summarized as follows:
of polymerization increases if the
from the isthei`endhatoms cof the conjugated system to the mid-
subst1.ituent ias series moved of
dle atoms; a reverse displacement sloes down the speed of polymerization.
2. Formation of a ring by a chain which bears a conjugated system in-
creases the speed of polymerization.
3. In a homologous series, raising the mass of a substituent at a mid-
dle atom of the conjugated system increases the speed of polymerization.,
while an increase of the mass of a substitutent at an end atom reduces that
speed. This relationship holds if heating is carried out at the same tern-
These relationships make it possible to predict on the basis of the
structure of a hydrocarbon whether or not it will polymerize at a suffi-
ciently great speed.
In 1926, the Soviet government announced a competition for a practicable
and efficient process which wuuld make the industrial production of synthetic
feasible, and result in a product of acceptable quality. Yh rub-
ber had been produced in Germany during World War I on the basis of Kondakov's
process, but the quality of the product was generally regarded as inadequate.
Only 2,350 tons had been produced up to the end of the war and the project was
abandoned after the war because it proved to be uneconomical. Using his ex-
tensive experience in the field and doing some additional work on the subject,
Lebede. per_tiripated in the competition and proposed an efficient method based
on the use of butadiene as the starting material.
The jury recognized Lebedev'e elution to the problem as the best, and
adequate facilities for research and experimental industrial work (pilot plant
production) were furnished him by the government. First of all, Lebedev and
his collaborators tackled the problem of a satisfactory method for the produc-
tion of butadiene. The earlier Process of Ostromyslenskiy consisteel of two
steps: first, catalytic dehydrogenation of ethyl alcohol to acetaldehyde and
then, in a separate stage, dehydration of acetaldehyde together with alcohol.
Work done in 1920 had demonstrated that the yield of butadiene from Ostromy-
slenskiy's process did not exceed 5-6 percent. Lebedev proposed that a mixed
catalyst over which both,the depydrbgenation and'the dehydration-can=be'carried
out in one stage be used in the conversion of ethyl alcohol to butadiene.
This improved the yield considerably.
In choosing the catalyst for butadiene polymerization, Lebedev finally
decided on sodium, although considerable prejudice against sodium had been
evinced by Harries and his school, who claimed that "abnormal" robbers must
form in polymerizations catalyzed by an alkali metal. At that time, however,
sodium was the correct choice, because thp polymerization could be carried
out in a short time with the aid of sodi?mi end a good yield resulted. Other
advantages were the low temperature at which the polymerization induced by
sodium took place -- consequently a relative absence of dimers -- and the sim-
ple equipment in which the reaction could be carried out. Later on, especially
as a result of investigations on the copolymerization of butadiene with styrene
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SUR
or derivatives of acrylic acid, the cdvantages of emulsion polymerization
were realized and polymerization with sodium was gradually abandoned. At
present it is held that a more uniform product of better quality results
from emulsion polymerization?
The wcrk done by Lebedev and his collaborators (Lebedev himself died in
1934) laid the scientific and technological foundation for she subsequent de-
velopment of the Soviet synthetic rubber industry. Later work done by that
school and other Russian chemists and technolog!sts aimed at utilizing hydro-
carbons derived from petroleum as a starting material for rubber production.
The predominant part which depolymerization plays at high temperatures was
noted. Lebedev"s work on the polymerization of ailene and its derivatives
led to attempts to synthesize rubber from hydrocarbons which do not contain
a conjgated system of double bonds, and polyisobutylene having an average
molecular weight of 8,000 was synthesized (by Lebedev) at a temperature of
?125 degrees. In this manner the synthesis of butyl rubber (Oppanol) has
been closely approached.(4)
While the choice of alcohol as a starting material may have been a matter
of necessity, Russian authorities point out the essential simplicity of the
process which is being principally used in the USSR at present. The synthesis
of butadiene by any other method requires many more steps. For instance, the
a i n the 3O'R
synthesis which had been developed and . up-y~.i..lIe .. by the Germ-ens
(essentially the process proposed by Ostromyslenskiy in 1913) runs as fellows:
1. Preparation of acetylene from calcium carbide.
2. Hydration of acetylene to acetaldehyde (reaction discovered by the
Russian chemist Xutcherov).
3. Condensation of acetaldehyde to aldol.
4. Reduction of aldol to ethylene glycol.
5. Dehydration of ethylene glycol to butadiene.
For p u r p o s e s of comparison, the avnthPri s of neoprene involves the fol-
lowing steps,
1. Preparation of acetylene from calcium carbide.
2. Catalytic polymerization of acetylene to monovinyl acetylene.
3. Synthesis of 2-chlorobutadiene by the addition of hydrogen chloride
to monovinylacetylene.
4. Polymerization of the chlorobutadiene to neoprene.
Of course, neoprene. is a special rubber which, strictly speaking, cannnot
be regarded as a substitute for natural rubber or buns and'the other hydrocar-
bon rubbers. Because it has special applications, it is also produced in the
USSR (under the name of Sovprene). Credit has been claimed by the USSR for
the development of this type rubber (Academician N. D. Zelinskiy, Moscow Uni-
versity, and Prof A. Klebanskiy, Leningrad Institute of Applied Chemistry
1932(5).
Even the compa:?atively simple synthesis of neoprene is more complicated
than Lebedevs process for the production of butadiene rubber, which consists
of only two steps, namely: (1) conversion of alcohol to butadiene, and (2)
polymerization of butadiene (5a).
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tIn drawing this sort of comparison, the steps leading to alcohol -- i.e.,
hydrolysis of cellulose, fermentation, e,.c. .- have been disregarded. Consid-
eration of the economic and technolo,ical aspects of alcohol production brings
us close to the problems which have been solved, or must be solved, in connec-
tion with the production of commercial rubber from the crude rubbers derived
from plants which are grown for that purpose in the USSR, or occur there in a
wild state.?
The war also stimulated the utilization of natural rubber derived from
plants. Several technolcgical improvements in this field date from that per-
iod In this connection the eaccharification of inulin under pressure in the
complex treatment of rubber-bearing plants which contain rubber in their roots
may be mentioned also the efforts to simplify the production of crude rubber
from roots (particularly those of kok-saghyz) and to decentralize that produc-
tion by carrying it out according to methods devised by D. I. Filippo- in the
localities where the plants are grown. The significance of these developments
will be cviucut from the brief _- _ of the over-?}1 effort in the field of
~~ ... ,,...- ...-.._ -.. of the -. __
natural-'kbber wh'.ch follows below. The production of natural crude rubber
in the USSR from plants which are indigenous there or could be acclimated was
seriously considered for the first time in the mid-1920?s. A broad program
of research and applied industrial development was started at that time and
proceeded parallel to the development in the field of synthetic rubber which
has been outlined above., It is impossible or very difficult to grow Hevea
brasiliensis and other tropical members of that family in the Soviet Union.
This also applies to other tropical plants, which, together with Hevea brasi-
li:nsis, are the most common sources of rubber and gutta-percha.
The Mexican plant guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray.), on which extensive
work has been done in the USA, could be cultivated successfully in Central Asia
and in the Caucasus, however. In 1939, more than 400 hectares of guayule were
?it;..nte? in Azerbavdzhan and Turkmenistan. In the future the kolkozes of
Azerbaydzhan presumably will become the chief source of supply of guayule. In
those regions of the USSR in which this plant can be cultivated, yields in ex-
cess of 500 kilograms of industrial rubber per hectare have been obtained from
plants 3-4 years old. An artificially irrigated &aayule plantation in Azer-
beydzhan has yielded as much as 717 kilograms of rubber hydrocarbon per hec-
tare. These yields are obtained with artificial irrigation -- the absence of
irrigation reduces the yields by a factor of from 2 to 2.5.
Another plant successfully acclimated to the USSR is the Chinese tree
Eucommia (Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.). This was first bought, to Russis in 1906
and used as ?i decorative plant. At present it is being successfully culti-
vated on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and the Crimea, in the Azov-
Black Sea region, and in the Ukraine (Ustimovka). Plantations of various
types of Eucommia already exist in Abkhaziya (Obheiochiry). The tree contains
gutta-percha in all vegetative organs, but that product is obtained mainly by
extraction with dichlorethane from the leaves. The leaves contain 2.3-3.0 per
cent of gutta-percha on the basis of the absolute dry weight. Trees 20-25
years,dld reach a height of 15-20 meters and have a. well-developed crown.
The prospects for successful production of gutta-percha from Eucommia are con-
sidered good.
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Bereskiet Burudavchatyy(Evonj,us verrucosa Scop.) is also considered
a valuable industrial source of gutta-percha. This brush grows wild in
the extensive forest regions of southern and eastern European USSR. The
bark of its roots contains up to 8-15 percent gutta-percha and the bark
coming from the Middle Volga region has a uniform content of 14-16 percent
gutta-percha hydrocarbon. At present the wild plant is being utilized.
One hectare of forest yielda 3.5 to 53 kilograms of crude bark. Other
types of beresklet, e.g., Evonymus e~.rupea L., also occur in the USSR,
but their gutta-percha content is much lower. The richest type of
beresklet, containing up to 20 percent gutta-percha in the bark, is the
Japanese variety, but this type does not occur in the USSR. Problems in
connection with the artificial cultivation of beresklet are still under
investigation.
Vatochnik (Ascleplas cornuti Des.), originally an American perennial
herb, now grows in a wild state in southern European USSR. The resinous
crude rubber derived from it has a low degree of polymerization, so that
the product is, not of particular value. The degree of polymerization can
be raised, however, by subsequent treatment, and the plant is of Interest
because of the possibility of complete industrial utilization of all of
its ingredients. One,hectare of a 3-year-old plantation yields up to
200-300 kilograms of a resinous product containing 20-25 percent of crude
rubber. The other useful products obtained from one hectare comprise 500
kilograms of fiber, 200-250 kilograms of floss, and 52-180 kilograms of
oil.
The most important sources of crude rubber produced in the USSR are
plants containing rubber principally in the roots, i.e., kok-saghyz, krym-
saghyz, and tau-saghyz. These plants yield crude rubber of high quality.
The resin content of the product is low in comparison with the crude rub-
ber derived from plaits which contain utilizable rubber elsewhere in the
parenchym tissue, such as guayule or vatochnik (see Table 1). In addition
to rubber hydrocarbons and resin. kok-saghyz roots contain sugar and inu-
lin, which can be hydrolyzed to sugar (fructose). Both are starting ma-
terials for the production of alcohol by fermentation. Tens of thousands
of hectares are already under cultivation with kok saghyz at present.
Kok--saghyz is a perennial plant which shows rather wide variations of
the yield depending on tbs soil and meteorological conditions. Thus, one-
year-old roots from irrigated plantations in Central Asia contain 3.9-4.5
percent of rubber hydrocarbons, while similar roots from nonirrigated re-
gions of European USSR have a rubber hydrocarbon cortent of 6.3-8.3 per-
cent based on the absolute dry weight, The yield of seeds may reach 237
kilograms per hectare. The maximum yield of seeds takes place in the sec-
ond year of the plant's life; in the third year, many plants deteriorate,
and the yield of rubber is also diminished. Plants growing in the wild
state have a somewhat longer life, Kok-saghyz has a very high rate of prop-
agation and can be conveniently cultivated for that reason. By appropriate
selection plants having larger roots could be developed and a maximum root
weight of 200 grams (crude weight) could be achieved.
Tau-saghyz is a perennial plant is indigenous tc the Kara-tau Mountains
of Kazakhstan. The severe climate of that region has determined the charac-
teristics of the plant and influenced its habitat. Rocky soil, low precipi-
tation, cold winters, and dry, hot summers have conditioned the wild-growing
tau-saghyz so that the plant has powerful roots, a comparatively small outer
part, and, as far as its physiological characteristics are concerned, a brief
period of active vegetation. The plant flowers in the second or third year
of its life and then cecomes dormant until the spring of the following year.
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The commercial_ cultivation of tau?sachyz has been delayed by the cir
cumstance that the plant has a very low rate of propagation and growth. How-
ever, tau-saghyz is extremely adapttable its characteristics can be changed
rapidly under conditions of artificial cultivation.. Its climatic adaptabil-
ity is considerable; in addition to Kazakhstan and Central Asia, tau-sagk}}ez
can be grown successfully in the wooded steppes and steppe regions of Euro-
pean USSR. In the irrigated sections of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, fully
productive plantations of tau??sagbyz comprising hundreds of hectares are al-
ready under cultivation.
A method of collecting the rubber by cutting off the outer part of the
plant has been developed. The milky juice flows from the roots and coagu-
lates, forming crude rubber, which is removed by means of special pincers.
Moderate cutting (ten to twelve times per season with a 4-day interval be-
tween cuttings) does not damage the plant; it is fully restored afterward.
Tau-saghyz roots contain 12.15 percent benzene soluble rubber hydrocarbons
on the basis of absolute dry weight and the roots reach a length of 10 meters
and a thickness of 10 centimeters.
Krym-Saghyz is a perennial plant of the dandelion genus. It occurs in
the wild state on the southern coast of the Crimea. The maximum weight of
200
the crude root of cultivated
weight of 50-70 g
only 0.7-0.8 percent of rubber as a rule, but in the second year that quan-
tity increases to 3-5 percent on the basis of absolute dry weight, and even
reaches 6 percent occasionally. Krym-saghyz is usually grown by planting
seeds, but it also can be propagated vegetatively. The plant can be culti-
vated wherever an adequate snow cover protects the roots from freezing. It
can also be grown in the warm regions of Central Asia and Transcaucasia.
One hundred sixty centners of crude roots having a rubber content of 4.5
percent based on the absolute dry weight have been collected from a hectare
of 2-year-old plantations in Central Asia. This corresponds to 200 kilo-
grams of commercial crude rubber per hectare. The high rate of propaga-
tion, the high yields, and resistance to diseases make krym-saghyz a valu-
able rubber-bearing plant. It has been sown since 1940 on the kol.khozes of
Central Asia and that territory will become in the~near ^future the principal
source of this type of raw material for rubber yioduc -n.
Kok-saghyz is an important bottnical source of supply of soft rubber in
the USSR. Therefore, the production of crude rubber from kok-saghyz will be
considered in some detail; furthermore, the methods in question can also be
applied to other plants which yield the same type'of crude material, i.e.,
rubber-bearing roots.
The chemical composition of the roots of kok-saghyz is shown in Table 4.
The roots are composed of 17-19 percent cork, 70-72 percent bark parenchym
(bark), and 9-%1 percent wood. Tubes which carry :the milky juice (latex). are
disposed in concentric circles in the bark of the r9ot. Cutting across the
roots liberates the latex, which is washed out with water in one of the first
stages of production. The flow charts shoving industrial production of crude
rubber from kok-saghyz are given in Figures 1 and 2.
On crushing or maceration in a root-grinding machine identical in con-
struction with the grinding apparatus used in the manufacture of potato starch,
the previously steamed material still contains most of its rubber in shreds of
plant tissues which occlude the rubber. The walls of the.plant tissue occlud-
ing the threads of ruober consist of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and
berin (cork irax).,.Treatment with alkali Or fermentation destroys these plant
tissue walls and liberates the rubber. Either or both treatments can be ap-
plied prior to the next step, which consists of separating the rubber from
the suspension. This concentration of rubber can be effected by settling,
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centrifuging, or flotation. Depending on the conditions, one or a combination
of these methods can be used. Flotation is based on the differential wetting
of rubber and other plant particles by water and gases. In other words, a
foam process is used in order to float, and thereby concentrate, the rubber
in the suspension.
Screening also effects concentration because the particles of rubber are
larger than those of other plant material from which the rubber is to be sepa-
rated. Rubber is stickier and has a greater tendency to agglomerate. This
tendency is used to advantage in the separation of rubber by agglomeration,
which method is illustrated on the right side of Figure 1. When dry roots of
kok-saghyz or tau?-saghyz are ground or crushed, the rubber agglomerates, but
a fine powder of wood and. other plant material sticks to the rubber and pene-
trates into it. If the disintegration is carried out in a ball mill in the
presence of water, the moist particles of wood and other foreign material can-
not adhere to the rubber, thus effecting the concentration and separation of
the rubber from impurities, if the material is screened afterward. A typical
flow chart depicting the production of crude rubber from kok-saghyz roots with
the aid of ball mills, and without the use of alkali, is shown in Figure 3.
Commercial latex can be obtained only from fresh (living) roots, so that
conditions of storage have to be controlled rather closely. According to
Ignatoev, Usina, and Erofeyev (Kauchuk i Resina, No 1, 1940), the latex does
not coagulate in the root in 30 days even at a temperature of 12 degrees centi-
grade. Figure 4 illustrates the production of latex according to the method
devised by Ignat~ev.(6)
figures and tables follov.7
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Figure 1. Flow Chart Showing the Processing of Rubber-Bearing Roots (6)
Raw
Material
Fermentationf
Cooking with
alkali
Enrichment in
water (Steaming)*
Crushing in
ball mill
Conversion
to sheets
n--iwucro ~+....
in ball mill
Drying of
sheets
* Only water soluble material is removed
J.
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Separation of
trine rubber
concentrate
Commercial
crude rubbe
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Figure 2., Flow C$ert Showing the Complex (Total.), Processing.of
Rubber-Bearing Roots (6)
Washing
r--
Separation of latex
from the cut roots
Flotation of
Latex
Only water soluble material is removed
Involves procedures sown in Figure 1
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skid. W
Figure 3. Production of Crude Rubber from Kok-Sagbyz with the
Aid of Ball Mills (6)
Cooked (steamed) or
fermented roots (or
intermediate product
1 from Figure 2)
Disintegration
in root-grinding
mill
Second ball mill
ubber '
sheet
Commer%~i.A-
C crude
.rubber /
flot-tjCn
and
:sedimena
tation
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%Siuag
and wash
water
Washing and formation
into sheets on roller
mill
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Figure 4. Production of Commercial Later (6)
lConveraion tj
rubber and
alcohol'
V
Commercia
\ latex
Commercial
\ ubber/
ber
a U I;I
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SEVIII
of Soviet Rubbers Compared with Hevea (b)
Commercial Product
Rubber-Bearing Plant
Kok-saghy;. (Taraxacum
kok-saghyZ R0di^1
Tau-saghyz (Scorzonera
tau-saghyz Lipsch. et
Bosse)
Krym-saghyz (Taraxacum
hybernum Stev.)
Guayule (Parthenium
argentatum Gray)
Vatochnik (Asclepias
(~ornuti Des.)
Hevea (Hevea
brasiliensis)
Processing Method
Treatment in water
Microbiological
Complex
Coagulation of latex
Alkaline treatment
Coagulation of latex
Alkaline treatment
Alkaline treatment
Extraction
Coagulation with
acid
Coagulation with
acid
Coagulation by
spraying
Appearance
and Form Color
Sheets Dark brown
or dark gray
Dark gray
"
Dark gray
Latex White
Sheets Yellowish brown
Dark brown or
dark gray
Viscous, Dark green
sticky
pass
Smoked Brownish red
sheets
Light White
crepe
sheets
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S50
Rubber Hydme-
Subetances Insolu-
ble in Kerosene
Ash
Nitrogen
Resin
carbon
10-11
83-86
1.5
0.50
10-11
80-85
1.5
0.59
10-11
83-86
1.5
0.62
3-4
40-50
.0.
5-1.0
1-1.25
6.4-8.0
90-91
o.
6-1.0
1.2
3.6-6.o
87-90
5-7
5-6
88-90
3-4
10-12
83-86
4-6 1
.3-1.6
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Content
Content in % ~n % Based
based on Abso- on Absolute
lute Dry Weight Dry Weight
Table 2. Composition of Various Grades of Gutta-Percha (6)
Gutta-
percha
Type of Raw Material; Hydro-
,BrodudtIon.:Method carbon
Gutta-percba from
beresklet
Temperature
of Soften-
Substances Water ing Accord-
Not Soluble Content ingeto Ditmar
in Kerosene (in (in C)
Alkali treatment 87-88 7-8 6-4 20-30 45-48
Extraction method 74-76 22.4-24.4 1.6 . 20-30 44.5-49.0
Gutta-percha obtained
by alkali treatment
from eucommia leaves 73.7 24.8 4.5-5.1 20-28 57
Imported gutta-percha
Tiepetir 79 7 4 10
Parang 57 14 11 18
Goolia 45 32 9 14
Serapong 39 31 3 27
Sample
Rubber hydrocarbon from hevea
Rubber hydrocarbon from
kok-saghy'z
Commercial rubber from kok-saghyz
grown in regions of European USSR
not artificially irrigated
Commercial rubber, from kok-saghyz
grown in irrigated regions of
Central Asia
Rubber hydrocarbon from tau-saghyz
Degree of
Polymerization
Molecular
Weight
Author
2058
140.103
Staudinger, 1929
2573
175.103
Ignat'ev and
Ustinova, 1938
2400-3000
203.103
Pinciich and
165.103
Ignat'ev, 1939
1853-2735
188.103
Pinevich Lad
126.103
Ignat'ev, 1939
2200
159.103
Ignat'ev and
1868
127.103
Dogadkin, 1934
NOTE: The molecular weights have been determined from the specific viscosity of
benzene solutions according to Staudinger.
Rubber hydrocarbon from tau-saghyz
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Table 4. Average Composition of Kok-Saghyz Roots (6)
Content (in %)
Based on absolute Base
d on Raw
ht
Components
D
Wei t moi
st wei
Rubber hydrocarbon (benzene extract)
7.40
2.22
Resins (acetone extract)
2.60
0.78
Carbohydrates (inulin and sugar)
38.00
11.40
Lignin, cellulose, proteins, and
mineral and other components
52.00
Water
NOTE: Rubber Conteut of Kok-saghyz Leaves -- Maximum 1% based on absolute
dry weight.
Average Composition of the Natural Latex of Kok-Saghyz
Rubber hydrocarbon
30-459
Resin
2-4 %
Carbohydrates
Protein
o.6-o.8%
52-70
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Conversion of Kok-Saghyz Roots into Rubber and Alcohol Using Alkaline
Treatment and Centrifuges (6)
Distribution Accord-r,
ing;,tofitages.in the :
clUtiiUl HkLYCL-1til 1L ~0'
Components of Anhy- Based on a 100% Con- Materials
drous Material (in tent in Crude Roots Per Ton
Anhydrous
Material Rubber
Content Hydro-
Product (in %) carbon
of Com-
Insolu- Total Rubber mercial
ble Sub- Crude Dry Hydro- Rubber
Resin stances Weight Matter carbon (in tons)
Kok-saghyz roots 30.0 7.4 2.7
Fraction enriched
in rubber (zhom)--
see: Fjg22 9.7 15.7 6.3
Diffusion juice 10.6
;,Absolute alcohol 100.0
Suspension
At'the start
of cooking 11.4 13.1
B f
146 47 100 59.9
151 53 - 61.9
- 13.9 - l'._7
e ore cen-
trifuging 6.3 13.1 - - 273 57 100 111.9
Centrifuging:
Concentrate 30.0 76.8
Sludge 3.1.0 12.3
Filtrate 4.8 0.99
Treatment of
sludge
8.2 15.0 7 7 75 2.95
- - 33 12 20 13.3
232 31 5 95.1
Sludge 11.0 12.3 - - 33 12 20 13.3
Rubber concen-
trate from
sludge 10.1
Filtrate 1.0
Washed concentrate 20.0
Moist rubber
sheets 60.0
Dry rubber sheets 98.5
78.8 8.3 12.9 4.6 2 18 1'.88
1.4 - - 305 10 2 125.7
78.3 8.8 12.9 13 9 91 5.3
83.2 10.1 6.7 4 8 90 1.64
83.2 10.1 6.7 2.4 8 90 1.00
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Distribution Acccrd-
ing to Stages in the
Flow of Material in %
Components of Anhy- Based on a 100% Con- Materials
drous Material (in %) tent in Crude Roots 13er Ton
Anhydrous of Com-
Material Rubber Insolu- Total Rubber mercial
Content Hydro- ble Sub- Crude Dry Hydro- Rubber
Product (in carbon Resin stances Weight Matter carbon (in tons)
Fraction enriched
in rubber (zhom)--
see:'Fig.2 9.7 15.7 6.3 - 146 47 100 59.9
At the start
of cooking 11.4 13.1
6.0
-
149 57 100
61.1
Before charging
into the flota-
tionhunitt 9.5 13.1
6.0.
-
179 57 100
73.4
Suspension
diluted in
the flotation
process 1.0 13.1
6.0
-
1430 57 100
586.1
1st concentrate 17.0 71.9
5.8
22.3
15 8 80.5
6.2
1st sludge
8.6
24.9
-
-
15 4 14.5
6.2
1st filtrate
0.95
o.84
-
-
1400 44- 5
5.7
Washing of concens_..
trate
2d concentrate
24.7
78.6
8.9
12.5
8
7
73.8
3.4
2d sludge
8.6
33.6
-
. -
3.6
1
4.7
1.48
2d filtrate
0.2
49.9
Treatment of sludge
Sludge
8.6
26.6
-
18.6
5.3
19.2
',7.62
Concentrate:
13.4
78.4
8.7
12.9
3.6
1.6
17.2
1.48
Filtrate
0.2
39.6
-
-
179
3.7
2.0
7.15
Washed concentrate
21.3
78.6 ?
8.8
12.6
12
8.5
91
4.92
Moist rubber
sheets
60.0
83.2
10.1
6.7
If
8
90
1.69
Dry rubber sheets
98.5
83.2
10.1
6.7
2.4
8
90
1.00
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Table 7. Conversion of Kok-Saghyz Roots into Rubber and Alcohol without Use
of Alkali and with Aid of Ball Mills (6)
Components of Anhy-
Distribution Accord-
ing to Stages in the,
Flow of Material in 'p
Based on a 100% Con- Materials
drous Material (in %) tent in Crude Roots Per Ton
Anhydrous
of Com-
Material
Content
Rubber
Hydro-
Insolu-
ble Sub-
Total
Crude
Dry
Rubber mercial
Hydro- Rubber
duct (in
P
carbon
Resin
stances
Weight Matter carbon (in tons)
ro
7.4
2.7
-
100
100
100 41
.0
Fraction enriched
in rubber (zhom)--
seerFjg-:2
9.7
15.7
6.3
-
146
47
100 59
.9
First passage
through ball
mill and screen
assembly
Sludge
9.66
15.7
6.3
First half-fine-
ished product 30.0 67.5
8.0
24.5
10.2._
10
93
Filtrate 0.8
Second passage
through ball mill
and screen assembly
Suspension
11.2
67.5
8.0
24.5
27.4'
; 10
93 11
.25
Concentrate
40.0
80.5
8.5
11.0
6.
8
91 2
.5
Filtrate
0.2
7.6
-
-
260
1.8
2 . 104
.6
Moist rubber
6
sheets
60.0
83.2
10.1
6.7
4
8
90 1
.
4
Dry rubber sheets
98.5
83.2
10.1
6.7
2.4
8
90 1
.00
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Kozlov, N. S. Synthetic Rubber, Nauka i Zhizn', Nu 4, 1948, p 2
2. Kozlov, N. S. Synthetic Rubber, Nauka i Zbizn', No 4, 1948, p 8
3. Kozlov, N. S. Synthetic Rubber, Nauka 1 Zhizn', No 4, 1948, p 7
4. Gorin, Yu.,U. and?Piotrovskiy, K. B. (Leningrad). Activity of
Academician S. B. Lebedev in the Field of Synthetic Rubber, Uspekhi
Khimii XVIII, No 5, 1949, p 621
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6
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5. Kozlov, N. S. Synthetic Rubber, Nauka i Zhizn', No 4, 1948, p 6
~a. Piotrovskiy, K. B. Creation in the USSR of the First Synthetic
Rubber Industry in the World. Priroda, No 6, 1948, pp 74-77
6. Bobkova, P. K., Zhuravleva, V. V., and Ignat'eva, A. M. (Editors);
Prof Nichiporovich, A. A. (General Editor). Technology-of Crude
Rubber and Gutta-Percha Derived From Plants. Goskhimizdat, Moscow,
1944, 240 pp
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