LANXESS has decided to convert production of emulsion styrene butadiene rubber (ESBR) used in standard tyres to solution styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR) used in high-performance “Green Tyres” at its site in Triunfo in southern Brazil, in lieu of a feasibility study it had undertaken. The German specility chemicals firm is the first company to carry out such a conversion.
The future capacity for SSBR in Triunfo will be 110,000 metric tonnes per year, the same volume as the current ESBR capacity. The switch in production technology represents an investment of EUR80 million, which will be financed from the company’s cash-flow. Up to 500 temporary workers will be needed during the conversion phase.
The plant will produce the latest grades of SSBR at the end of 2014. A regular supply of ESBR to customers will be maintained from the company’s plant in Duque de Caxias in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which has enough production capacity to supply the entire Brazilian ESBR demand.
ESBR i used mainly in the manufacturing and retreading of truck tyres, which means tyre carcasses can be reused several times, thus saving raw materials for tyre production.
Lanxess’s global growth for SSBR and neodymium-based performance butadiene rubber (Nd-PBR) sold under the Buna brand name, is estimated at 10% per year, up to 2017, as consumers shift to more fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly “Green Tyres”.
“We are delighted to announce another major synthetic rubber investment in Brazil, which underscores our commitment to our sites and employees here,” said Lanxess Board Member, Werner Breuers, at a recent press conference held in São Paulo . “We want to provide our customers with the best technology they deserve in order to fulfill their expansion plans in this important market,” he said.
On a related note, “Green Tires” can reach their peak performance with formulations containing both SSBR and Nd-PBR.
SSBR is mainly used in the tread compound of “Green Tyres” and Nd-PBR is used in the treads and sidewalls. While both rubbers help to increase fuel efficiency of a tyre by reducing rolling resistance, S-SBR helps improves grip on wet roads, whilst Nd-PBR is highly resistant to abrasion thus making tyres more durable.
“We are now moving from the age of tyre design to the age of tyre materials, which will make the difference in performance,” said Joachim Grub, Head of the Lanxess Performance Butadiene Rubbers (PBR) business unit.
In the recent two years, Lanxess has increased its global capacities for the high-performance rubbers SSBR and Nd-PBR by 70,000 metric tonnes per annum. The company has achieved this through debottlenecking measures at its plants in Dormagen, Germany, Orange, USA and Cabo de Santo Agostinho (Pernambuco), Brazil. In addition, the company produces SSBR at is facility in Port Jérôme, France.