Laboratory Vulcanization as an Aid to Factory Air Analysis

Abstract

Abstract The pollution problems of the rubber industry are complex and the pollutants arise from a variety of sources. Prior knowledge of the nature of these pollutants is invaluable to the successful execution of a factory monitoring program. Such a knowledge enables the most appropriate monitoring equipment to be preselected and provides for cost effective analysis. The collection and analysis of hitherto unidentified compounds requires a degree of control which is most easily achieved with a laboratory vulcanization. The results presented here show that this control enables a wide range of volatile species to be captured and permits yields to be optimized for the purposes of identification. Examples of the control that may be achieved in a laboratory vulcanization include the ability to handle samples without loss and to carry out this work with ready access to the most sophisticated analytical equipment. A knowledge of the chemical nature of the fumes from a vulcanizing rubber is not only of value to the industrial hygienist but also provides an insight into the chemical processes of vulcanization. For example, evidence for the free radical contribution to a sulfenamide cure can be obtained. Of special note is the fact that these data can be obtained from fully compounded rubber stocks.