22-04-2025
Turning waste into value: Rubber Board achieves breakthrough in skim rubber recovery
In a significant achievement, the Rubber Board has developed a smart new way to extract high-quality rubber from skim latex — a by-product that usually ends up as waste. This innovation not only boosts rubber recovery but also eases the pressure on effluent treatment systems at manufacturing units.
Developed by the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII), the process transforms skim latex into usable rubber in just 24 hours. The treatment involves a special mix of chemicals followed by acid coagulation, which helps form rubber lumps. These are then converted into skim crepe and dried for use.
Skim latex is typically produced during the making of Centrifuged Latex (Cenex), which goes into items like gloves, condoms, and balloons. With over 40 Cenex factories in India, around 10 percent of the country's natural rubber is processed this way, leaving behind a large volume of skim latex.
Until now, recovering rubber from this by-product has been a slow, messy process. Skim latex was acid-treated and packed into plastic sacks for two weeks, allowing it to solidify. The result was low-grade rubber, bad odours and a lot of plastic waste, which often triggered public protests.
The RRII's new method eliminates the need for plastic sacks, cuts processing time dramatically and produces rubber of much better quality. It, at the same time, reduces foul smells and environmental impact.
Buoyed by the finding, the Board now plans to brand the new product as Indian Purified Skim Rubber™ (IPSR) and patent the process. The technology has already been handed over to the Federation of Latex Processors on a paid basis and is available for other factories to adopt too.
