The production and availability of natural rubber in India is facing huge disruption, despite a constant price hike, small-scale players are under the threat of extinction on the back of several factors. In fact, the All Kerala Small Scale Tread Rubber Manufacturers’ Association increased the price of tread rubber and allied products by INR 12 per kg on the back of hike raw material prices and overhead expenses. But this too seems to be a not a sustainable measure.

In a conversation with Tyre Trends, P P Subair, President, of All Kerala Small Scale Tread Rubber Manufacturers’ Association states that the prices of rubber are going up by almost INR 3-4 per kg daily. It is becoming so dynamic that the prices keep varying throughout the day.

This, he attributes, is on the back of several factors, which include the availability of natural rubber becoming scarce on the back of adverse weather conditions (heavy rain); then there is the reduction in imports due to the non-availability of containers from Thailand and other countries.

Furthermore, the reduction in the availability of labourers, especially in the key state of Kerala where only 30 percent labourers are available (compared to demand) for rubber taping. According to Subair, almost 80 percent of the natural rubber production in India happens in Kerala, with the rest of India including Karnataka, Maharashtra and other states contributing the remaining 20 percent.

“The young generation is not interested in working in this profession, even if people from other states are called for working on rubber tapping, it will still take a couple of months for them to be efficient,” shares Subair. This has also resulted in a significant number of players shutting shop. In fact, Subair states the number of members in the All Kerala Small Scale Tread Rubber Manufacturers’ Association has come down from 1,000 to 300.

He explains that as on 8 August 2024, the price of tread rubber is around INR 250 per kg, yet there is no availability for the raw material.

“Everybody is searching for rubber sheets, but the same problem exists in other states also.”

He claims that at present 75 percent of tread manufacturers are from Kerala, while the remaining are based in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and a few other places. While there are some other states in Northeast India, the quality is not similar, as well as the available quantity is very limited in comparison to the demand in the country.

Subair expects that there may be some relief in the next 2-3 months, in addition to the relief post-monsoon.

But he also expresses concern about the existential crisis looming across the country for the small-scale industry.

“All over India, the small-scale players are suffering in the tread rubber sector. In addition to the challenges, the removal of exemptions for small-scale players in the taxation bracket, we are now faced with 18 percent GST which has impacted the financial health of many players. This has led to wafer-thin to almost no margins for businesses. It has become very difficult to grow or expand one’s business,” he shares.

Then there is the indirect impact due to the crude oil prices on the back of geo-political reasons.

Ecolomondo Corporation, a leading Canadian innovator in sustainable scrap tyre recycling technology, has announced that its new milling line at Hawkesbury facility has achieved a major milestone during recent testing by reaching a throughput of approximately 2,700 lbs per hour of recovered carbon black (rCB). This result surpasses the company’s projected target of 2,200 lbs per hour.

When the new milling line is completely operational, it should be able to process 2,200 pounds of rCB per hour and provide a particle size distribution of 96 percent between 10 and 15 microns. It is anticipated that the plant would process more than 1.5 million scrap tyres annually, recovering 1,350 MT of process gas while producing 4,500 MT of recovered carbon black, 5,400 MT of oil and 2,250 MT of steel.

The company expects the commercial production of rCB to start by the end of May 2025. After being contacted, offtake clients told the company that they were eagerly expecting a larger supply of steel, oil and rCB, said the company. Depending on end-product market pricing, the company's yearly income from the sale of these sustainable goods plus tipping fees of USD 145 per metric tonne is expected to reach USD 12.1 million, with an estimated EBITDA of 45 to 50 percent, added the company statement.

Jean-François Labbé, Interim CEO, Ecolomondo Corporation, said, “This is a major achievement that brings the Hawkesbury facility closer to full production and commercialisation.”

Global speciality chemicals company Orion S.A. has launched a new bio-circular carbon black called ECOLAR 50 POWDER to provide coatings manufacturers with a new solution for more sustainable coatings.

ECOLAR 50 POWDER, which is entirely based on bio-circular feedstock, has coloristic qualities that are on par with those of ordinary speciality carbon blacks and includes 100 percent biogenic raw material according to 14C analysis. The coloristic qualities of ECOLAR 50 POWDER, a low to medium colour furnace black, offer moderate tinting strength and medium jetness in mass tone applications. ECOLAR 50 POWDER offers equivalent coloristic performance for full-tone and tinting applications, as well as comparable wetting and dispersion characteristics to conventionally manufactured low-colour furnace blacks.

ECOLAR 50 POWDER outperformed other common specialist carbon blacks in achieving medium jetness in a solvent-borne alkyd/melamine stoving enamel system. It created a similar neutral undertone as well. When tested in a water-borne 1K PU coating system, ECOLAR 50 POWDER created a more neutral undertone and jetness that was on par with other regular speciality carbon blacks.

Tilo Lindner, Vice President Global Marketing – Speciality Carbon Black, Orion, said, “We’re leading the way in advancing carbon black to meet increasing industry demands for sustainable products. ECOLAR 50 POWDER enables coatings formulators to develop truly sustainable products in all kinds of coatings applications.”

LD Carbon has inaugurated Korea’s first and largest waste tyre pyrolysis plant in Dangjin, South Korea.

Located in the Dangjin Hapdeok General Industrial Complex, the plant is expected to begin full-scale operation next month. The plant is spread over 29,800 square metres and features two factory buildings and five silos. The plant has an annual capacity to process 50 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of tyre chips derived from end-of-life tyres (ELTs).

At the location, LD Carbon uses a two-step pyrolysis process, first turning ELTs into solid char and pyrolysis oil. After that, the business uses a secondary pyrolysis process to further compress the char and create recovered carbon black (rCB). It is anticipated that the Dangjin facility would generate 20 ktpa of rCB and 24 ktpa of pyrolysis oil, which is a substantial increase above the combined output of 7 ktpa at its current pilot plant in Gimcheon. When compared to traditional carbon black, the rCB generated by the technique is said to lower carbon emissions by up to 32 ktpa.

The company is planning to build plants overseas and intends to join the Asian market soon. It has also struck a 10-year offtake deal with SK Incheon Petrochem for its pyrolysis oil.

Speciality chemicals company LANXESS India organised its first exclusive Solutions Day event in Mumbai today to showcase its diversified and sustainable product portfolio to customers and other key stakeholders.

The event was organised to promote the idea of ‘One LANXESS’, where its business units – namely Advanced Industrial Intermediates, Flavors & Fragrances, Inorganic Pigments, Liquid Purification Technologies, Lubricant Additives Business, Material Protection Products, Polymer Additives, Rhein Chemie and Saltigo – displayed their distinctive products and solutions at the event. It provided an opportunity to highlight the cross-business synergies that characterise LANXESS' integrated approach and to present the company's cutting-edge solutions designed for a variety of industrial applications.

Three main business sectors, namely Advanced Industrial Intermediates, Speciality Additives and Consumer Protection Products, are currently the emphasis of LANXESS's strategy shift from a polymers to speciality chemicals company. In order to improve the value provided to clients, the event sought to promote cooperation and creativity across these various business divisions. In order to promote knowledge exchange, discover possible areas for collaboration and capitalise on the capabilities of each business unit to propel overall development and success, the day included interactive workshops, technical presentations and networking opportunities.

Namitesh Roy Choudhury, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, LANXESS India, said “Our goal with Solutions Day is to strengthen our existing partnerships and explore future collaborations that support sustainable industry growth. Through this event, we want to highlight LANXESS’ integrated offerings to all our stakeholders and address the global industrial challenges through the combined power of sustainable chemistry, innovation and responsible business.”