The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has collaborated with JK Fenner (India) Limited on the research and development of a biodegradable alternative to elastomers or rubber products, which are used in the production of a variety of utilitarian items. As part of its CSR initiatives, JK Fenner is funding this research project.
Natural rubber is biodegradable
Although natural rubber is biodegradable, the finished product biodegrades slowly due to the presence of non-degradable chemical units that acts as molecular bridges. Because of their structural feature of carbon-carbon single bonds in the backbone, most synthetic rubbers are also not biodegradable. As a result, the finished rubber product after its service life remains structurally stable for a long time.
An IIT Madras research team headed by Prof R Dhamodharan, Department of Chemistry, IIT Madras, aims to tackle this issue by research and development of effective, biodegradable, molecular bridges as an alternative, through their research.
Developing next generation rubber which is will be eco friendly
Speaking about this CSR Partnership with IIT Madras, Nagaraju Srirama President and Director, JK Fenner (India) Limited, said, “JK Fenner India Limited is happy to partner with IIT Madras, the premier research institute in the country for developing the next generation rubber which is going to be biodegradable and environment- friendly. This research will set a new direction in the rubber industry (belts/hoses) which will be environmentally friendly and will support our initiative towards a sustainable future.”
Elaborating on the scope of their research, Principal Investigator Prof R Dhamodharan, Department of Chemistry, IIT Madras, said, “The structure of the polymer to address these issues should be amenable to the ‘standard curing procedure’ established in the rubber industry. The polymer as well as the ‘crosslinker’ or the ‘bridge molecule’ used in the curing should also be designed with structural features that would make it suitable for biodegradation.”
