Bridgestone Corporation

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC

Yingyi Huang

William M Cole

Hiroshi Mouri

Mark W Smale

Robert W White

Michael R Hartzell

Taigyoo Park

Sheel Agarwal

Walter Tomaszewski

Georg G A Böhm

Jenny L Sheaffer

Robert W Handlos

Michael R Beaulieu

Michael C Davis

Mark N DeDecker

Waruna C B Kiridena

Erin Sheepwash

William S Niaura

Piotr Kozminski

Shammi Ahmed

Robert White

Mark Smale

William Cole

Georg GA Bohm

An air spring bellow formed from a rubber composition including a rubber component that contains a polyisoprene rubber and syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene. The syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene has a low crystallinity of 40 percent or less and the rubber composition includes a filler.

Syndiotactic polybutadiene in non-tire applications

Provided herein are organic solvent-based processes for the removal of rubber from non-plants such as guayule shrubs. By the use of the processes, solid purified rubber can be obtained that contains 0.05-0.5 weight % dirt, 0.2-1.5 weight % ash, and 0.1-4 weight % resin (when it has been dried so as to contain 0.8 weight % volatile matter).

Processes for the removal of rubber from non-plants

A method for forming a polymer-filler composite having advantageous bound filler content, the method comprising (a) providing a guayule cement; (b) introducing particulate filler to the guayule cement to form a solution masterbatch; and (c) desolventizing the solution masterbatch to form a polymer-filler composite.

Polymer-filler composites with guayule rubber

Systems and methods for managing the waste associated with the extraction of rubber from guayule shrubs are provided. Also provided is a portable local sub-station for reducing the transportation costs associated with the processing of guayule shrubs for the extraction of rubber. Use of the disclosed systems, methods and/or local sub-station can reduce transportation costs, reduce processing costs and reduce the downstream processing complexity associated with the extraction of rubber from guayule shrubs.

Systems and methods for the management of waste associated with processing guayule shrubs to extract rubber

Processes for the removal of rubber from non-hevea plants

Provided herein is a fractionator and related process for separating solubilized rubber from a co-solvent based miscella.

Fractionator for separating solubilized rubber from a co-solvent based miscella and related processes

Provided herein are organic solvent-based processes for the removal of rubber from aged briquettes made from compressed plant matter (briquettes) of non-plants.

Processes for recovering rubber from aged briquettes

Provided herein are cured rubber compositions containing guayule natural rubber with 2.5-4 weight % resin and fillers. By the use of a specified cure package that contains increased amounts of sulfur and accelerator, the cured rubber compositions are found to exhibit strain induced crystallization (as can be observed by X-ray diffraction). Also provided are related methods for preparing the rubber compositions.

Cured guayule rubber containing compositions and method for preparing same

Methods are described for quantifying an amount of natural rubber in a plant from a sample of the plant by obtaining a NMR spectrum and analyzing the signal peaks for the natural rubber in the plant sample and a standard component tested in combination with the plant sample. The NMR testing is conducted on a liquid state sample of a solution containing dissolved plant sample and standard component. A pre-determined and known amount of standard component is present in the liquid state sample and provides a reference for calculating an estimated amount of natural rubber in the plant sample. The estimated amount of natural rubber in the sample can be used to quantify the amount of extractable rubber in the sampled plant.

Methods for determining plant rubber content with low field NMR

Provided herein are methods for the removal of organic solvents from wet bagasse. The use of the methods result in dried bagasse that contains no more than 1 weight percent organic solvents.

Methods for the desolventization of bagasse

Methods are described for quantifying an amount of natural rubber in a plant from a sample of the plant by obtaining a Tspin-lattice relaxation rate or Tspin-spin relaxation rate from a NMR apparatus, such as a low-field NMR apparatus operating at a magnetic field strength of 2 T or less. The NMR relaxation rates obtained from the plant sample are compared to reference relaxation data or plots. The plots can represent the weight percent polyisoprene versus Tspin-lattice relaxation rate or Tspin-spin relaxation rate. The reference relaxation data or plots are generated from testing the same type of plant as the sample.

Growing community of inventors

Hudson, OH, United States of America

Yingyi Huang