As the name suggests, Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) is all about rubber. The latest advancement see a raw material processing technique which reduces the rubber odour in tyres by over 50%. The reduction is odour was measured by a headspace GCMS; a device that measures the odours of volatile components. Rubber odour is a trait of natural rubber and does not occur within synthetic rubber.
The new rubber is called ‘reduced odour natural rubber’. It works by supressing the breakdown of odour-causing non-rubber components, such as proteins and lips which are found within natural rubber in its raw material states. The applications have already been applied to some of SRI’s tyres.