The Effect of Ingredients Mixing Sequence in Rubber Compounding upon Vulcanization Kinetics of Natural Rubber: An Autocatalytic Model Study

Abu Hasan (Department of Chemical Engineering, State Polytechnic of Sriwijaya, Jl. Srijaya Negara, Bukit Besar, Palembang 30139, Indonesia)
Rochmadi Rochmadi (Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Jl. Grafika no 2, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia)
Hary Sulistyo (Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Jl. Grafika no 2, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia)
Suharto Honggokusumo (Gapkindo (The Indonesian Rubber Association), Jl. Cideng Barat no 62A, Jakarta 10150, Indonesia)

Indonesian Journal of Chemistry
Vol 18, No 4 (2018)

This study examined the effect of ingredients mixing sequence to the vulcanization kinetics of natural rubber. The effects of mixing temperature, vulcanization temperature, and the carbon black type upon the kinetics were also studied by using rheography and an autocatalysis reaction model approach. The results showed that this model is good in providing information on vulcanization reaction kinetics of natural rubber. High vulcanization temperature resulted in high reaction rate constant. The more black carbon mixed at the beginning of the rubber mixing process, the higher reaction rate constant would be. The mixing of carbon black and rubber chemicals mixed into the rubber subsequently resulted in the higher reaction rate constant compared with that of simultaneously.