Designing Next Generation Accelerators for Environmental Requirements as Well as Performance Criteria

Increased costs and limited availability of “conventional” rubber chemicals has established a requisite to design alternate chemistries.  Driving this prerequisite is the reassurance of the continued supply of cost effective and environmentally acceptable materials for the development and manufacture of elastomeric products.  Rhein Chemie Corporation, as a leader in developmental elastomeric chemistries, has focused efforts in both reducing and eliminating “unacceptable” and hazardous chemicals from traditional rubber compounding.  Previous work in the related field has led to developments which allow for the replacement of thiourea and DOTG accelerators.  These two materials both produce harmful emissions during the processing and curing of compounds in which they are contained.  Continued efforts in the field of safer chemistry have piloted the path to enhance the use of our product Rhenocure® SDT/S.  Rhenocure® SDT/S is multi-functional, acting as both an accelerator and a sulfur donor for the vulcanization of rubber compounds.  Furthermore Rhenocure® SDT/S is being targeted as a replacement for DPG in a variety of base polymer stocks.  Rhenocure SDT/S has a lower HMIS rating than DPG and recent testing has demonstrated excellent results when utilizing Rhenocure® SDT/S as a DPG replacement in diene based tread stock compounds.  This paper illustrates in detail the vast potential in utilizing this chemistry in various rubber based compounding applications.