Since then, there have been attempts to reduce the dependency on natural rubber. For example, eco-friendly winter tires such as the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 use silica, derived from sand, for extra grip, along with canola oil and natural rubber to remain soft even in extreme temperatures. Thailand and Indonesia are two of the leading rubber producers. 27th September, 2017. The stereoregularity is extremely high with a cis-1,4 content of about 99%. The production of synthetic rubber received a major boost during WWII; however, the demand for synthetic rubber continued to remain high even after the war had come to an end. However, the extent of this switching is limited for technical reasons. Asia-Pacific has dominated the synthetic rubber market owing to the high demand from countries like India and China. 4 It suggests that substitution between natural and synthetic rubber occurs when relative prices change for rubber used in applications that are less demanding. It is an elastic substance which can be obtained both by naturally (natural rubber) or they can also be synthesized chemically in laboratories (synthetic rubber-like butyl rubber, neoprene, etc.) • Elastic, water repellent and electric resistent. Rubber-pad forming process for materials such as metal in which portions of the die which act upon the material is composed of a natural or synthetic rubber or elastomer material. Synthetic Rubber. Vulcanized rubber is a synthetic (man-made) polymer, while pectin is an example of a natural polymer. Forms of polyisoprene that are used as natural rubbers are classified as elastomers. Whether natural or synthetic, rubber continues through four steps: compounding, mixing, … Depending on the chemicals added and the properties associated with it, the synthetic rubber can be as hard as a bowling ball or as resilient as a rubber band or as soft as a sponge. Key Difference – Natural vs Synthetic Rubber Rubber can be produced in two ways; either naturally or artificially. Each rubber type has its own chemical and physical properties depending on the nature of the monomer and chemical structure of the rubber. This statistic shows the global consumption of natural and synthetic rubber from 1990 to 2018. Natural rubber comes from latex. The partnership of the government, industry, and academe expanded the U.S. synthetic rubber industry from an annual output of 231 tons of general purpose rubber in 1941 to … Most natural rubber is produced from a softwood tree native to Brazil, though several other species of trees and shrubs are sources of rubber as well. Although Natural Rubber, with the benefit of modern compounding, is very satisfactory for many applications, it is also a strategically important material, a natural crop only produced in tropical countries and has relatively poor ageing properties.