Plant base antioxidant for natural rubber compounding

Adhikari A.M.K.S.P 1* and Kumara R.A.P.R 2

1. Raw Rubber and Chemical Analysis Department, Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka,
Thelewala Rd., Ratmalana.
2. Department of Physical Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences,
Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Belihuloya.

Abstract:
The technological performance of various types of rubber products depends on their ability to withstand
the effects of service environment. The development of rubber for many modern uses would not have been
possible without the discovery of chemicals to prevent their degradation during service. This has resulted
in the development of antioxidants, anti-fatigue agents, UV stabilizers etc.
Antioxidants are very important chemicals in rubber compounding and they protect the product from
oxidation in different ways. At present, phenolic and amine base antioxidants are used although they are
hazardous. Therefore, main intention of this research was to study the effect of plant base antioxidant (lignin
type) in thermal oxidation of natural rubber and replacement of commercially available toxic antioxidants
by the plant extract.
A series of natural rubber samples were compounded separately with amine base and phenolic base
antioxidants incorporated with the plant extract (PLEX) in different ratios. N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-
phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) was used as amine base antioxidant and 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-
dihydroquinoline (TMQ) was used as the phenolic base antioxidant. Cure characteristics of those
compounded samples were tested using rheographs recorded at 150 ºC for 30 min. Physico-mechanical
properties such as hardness, tensile strength, tear strength compression set and abrasion volume loss were
studied at ageing and non-ageing conditions.
The results revealed that the physico-mechanical properties of those rubber compounds with PLEX were
very much similar to those properties of typical rubber compounds with either amine or phenolic base
antioxidants. According to ageing properties it was observed that the compounds were thermally stable with
PLEX as typical rubber compounds. Therefore this lignin base plant extract (PLEX) can be used as an
antioxidant replacing either amine or phenolic type antioxidants without affecting their physical properties.

Key words: Antioxidant, physico-mechanical, plant extract (PLEX), Rubber Compounding