Where Does Rubber Come From?
Currently, most rubber is produced using petroleum. However, more than one quarter of all rubber produced is derived from latex extracted from living trees. The two sources produce different types of rubber with different properties. Petroleum contains many different types of carbon containing molecules, which are the starting point for synthetic rubber production. Some of crude petroleum can be processed into molecules called dienes. Dienes can be reacted to form long chains, called polymers, which make up all synthetic rubbers. The first synthetic rubber, made of styrene butadiene, is still the major form produced today. Natural rubbers are made from elastic latexes. Latex is a mixture of organic compounds produced by some plants in special cells called caticifers. The composition of latex differs from plant to plant. Most natural rubber comes from a single species of tree, Hevea brasiliensis. Though native to South America, H. brasiliensis is planted in large plantations in southeas
The latex used in natural rubber production is actually sap that can be found in certain plants and trees, including lettuce and dandelions. At present, the primary source of latex is generated from the Pará rubber tree. Latex is white and milky in appearance, has an elastic consistency, and is removed from the tree through a process called “rubber tapping”. During this process, cuts are made into the bark of the tree where the latex is stored (latex vessels). The vessels are tapped in such a way so as not to disturb the tree’s growth. The latex then drips down into buckets which are tied to the tree underneath the incisions. Just two centuries ago, the Para rubber tree was exclusive to the Amazon Rainforest. It wasn’t until the 1870s when rubber tree seeds were brought to India to help establish the first commercial rubber plantations. Today, rubber tapping methods are also commonly practiced in Liberia and Brazil, with Asia as the predominant source of natural rubber production.
Rubber comes from a milky white juice which some trees and plants have instead of sap. This liquid, called latex, can be found in the roots, stems, branches, bark, leaves, and fruit of over 400 different plants. Most latex, however, comes from the inner bark of the hevea, or rubber tree, of Brazil. To get the latex, workers cut
