Sumitomo Rubber Industries develops technique deemed “a major step toward” in solving long-standing odour issues surrounding natural rubber.

After successfully identifying the factors that cause natural rubber to emit a smell. Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) has developed a ‘Reduced Odour Natural Rubber,’ (RONR) a new type of natural rubber that emits significantly less odour.
Thanks to the introduction of a proprietary raw material processing technique at the SRI’s plant in Thailand, its new ‘Reduced Odour Natural Rubber,’ achieves a significant reduction in odour by suppressing the breakdown of odour-causing non-rubber components (such as proteins and lipids) that are found within natural rubber in its raw material state.
“The establishment of this new technique represents a major step toward solving long-standing odour issues, not just at natural rubber processing plants, but also at tyre factories and other sites where natural rubber is handled,” says Sumitomo Rubber Europe GmbH’s Dr Bernd Löwenhaupt.

As natural rubber in particular accounts for approximately 30 per cent* of the raw materials that make up a tyre (by weight), SRI is currently moving forward with other proactive efforts to find pioneering solutions to the various issues its use. These range from improving tyre performance and a greater overall environmental awareness, such as modifying natural rubber’s properties and making greater use of biomass materials.

*Source: “Tyre Industry of Japan 2019” Report (Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association)

Falken Tyre Europe Falken Tyre Europe GmbH is the European affiliate of Japanese tyre manufacturer Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI); with more than 37,852 employees, it is the fifth largest tyre manufacturer worldwide. In 2001 and 2014 SRI was selected to appear in the Thomson Reuters ‘Top 100 Global Innovators’ list of the world’s most pioneering companies. From its location in Offenbach, Main, the company markets and sells a complete tyre portfolio for passenger cars, light trucks, trucks, pick-ups and SUVs as original equipment and for the entire European retrofitting market. All Falken factories comply with the ISO 9001, IATF 16949 as well as environmental standard ISO14001. Developed and tested in the world’s most demanding racing series, Falken tyres provide maximum driving pleasure. The Falken brand is involved in exciting and high technology platforms such as motorsport with two Porsche 911 GT3 R race cars, at the BORUSSIA PARK stadium, which is the stadium of Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, and as the global tyre partner of Liverpool FC.
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