Bio-based rubber helps carbon neutrality and domestic research and development speeds up

Bio-based rubber refers to rubber synthesized from bio-based raw materials. Bio-based rubber is an important way for the sustainable development of the rubber industry. On the one hand, bio-based rubber is not restricted by the shortage of oil and gas resources. On the other hand, bio-based rubber solves the problem of low and unstable natural rubber production capacity. The development of the bio-based rubber industry is expected to get rid of the rubber industry’s dependence on fossil raw materials and contribute to carbon neutrality. In the context of energy shortage and the gradual implementation of dual-carbon, the bio-based rubber market has broad development space.

Rubber is an elastic polymer. As a basic industrial raw material, the security of the rubber industry chain is related to my country’s overall strategic security. Rubber has excellent performance and a wide range of downstream applications, involving automobiles, aviation, aerospace, navigation, medical and other fields. Rubber can be divided into synthetic rubber and natural rubber. Synthetic rubber is the mainstream product in the market, but synthetic rubber relies on fossil resources and has high carbon emissions. In recent years, under the background of increasingly strict environmental protection supervision and the rapid development of bio-economy, the bio-based rubber market has attracted increasing attention.

According to the “2021-2026 Bio-based Rubber Industry Market In-depth Research and Investment Prospects Forecast Analysis Report released by the Industrial Research Center, Attracted by the good market prospects, companies around the world are actively developing the bio-based rubber market. The bio-based rubber industry in Europe and the United States has first-mover advantages, such as Goodyear’s bio-based isoprene rubber, Arlanxeo’s bio-based butyl rubber and bio-based ethylene-propylene rubber, and Continental Tire’s dandelion rubber.

In 2017, the national key research and development plan for the preparation technology and application demonstration of new bio-based rubber materials was established, covering material-based copolyester rubber, bio-based itaconate rubber, dandelion rubber, etc. With state support, my country’s bio-based rubber industry has also developed rapidly, and the gap with European and American countries is constantly narrowing. At present, enterprises and institutions engaged in the research and production of bio-based rubber in my country include Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Xishuangbanna Shengrun Rubber, Shandong Dongbo Zhongju New Materials, Tongcheng New Materials Co., Ltd., etc.

Currently, the bio-based rubbers being developed or produced in my country include bio-degradable polyester rubber, functionalized bio-based itaconate-butadiene rubber, dandelion rubber, liquid phase superpolymer natural rubber, etc. Functionalized bio-based itaconate-butadiene rubber is one of my country’s original synthetic rubber varieties. The world’s first 1,000-ton demonstration production line has been built and successfully put into production in Shandong Jingbo Zhongju New Materials, and it has been successfully put into production in Shandong Linglong Trial production of bio-based green tires on the tire industrial production line.

Industry analysts said that bio-based rubber is an important way for the sustainable development of the rubber industry. Under the strategic goals, the bio-based rubber market has broad development space. The bio-based rubber industry in Europe and the United States started early and has a large scale. In recent years, under the guidance of national policies, my country’s bio-based rubber industry has also made certain achievements. The number of bio-based rubber varieties with independent intellectual property rights has gradually increased, which has greatly improved the rubber industry. Industrial independent controllability.