American Chemical Society (ACS) Offers a Rubber Technology Training Award

The Rubber Division, ACS offers a Rubber Technology Training Awards and scholarships for those already in the rubber industry seeking additional education and opportunities for advancement. In addition, the Rubber Division, local Rubber Groups and industry companies recognize and support the need for financial assistance in obtaining a college degree. With this in mind, there are many scholarships available for those students who wish to pursue a degree in rubber technology, polymer science or the chemical profession.

The Rubber Technology Training Award provides a $1,250 stipend to rubber industry employees to allow them to attend the events at a spring or fall Rubber Division meeting in the year they are selected. Events include seminars/workshops, technical presentations, banquets and networking opportunities and expositions. Deadline for application is March 1. The Rubber Division offers two $5,000 undergraduate scholarships to students entering their junior or senior year of for the fall-spring academic year.

Applicants may have a major area of study in chemistry, physics, chemical or mechanical engineering, polymer science or any other technical discipline of relevance to the rubber industry. Each winner receives up to $5,000 to defray educational expenses and be named a Rubber Division Scholar. Deadline for application is also March 1. These Rubber Groups also offer scholarships: Blue Ridge (via Virginia Tech), Connecticut, Detroit, Energy, Fort Wayne, Los Angeles, Mid-Atlantic, Ohio, Southern, Twin Cities and West Michigan. Deadlines vary for these scholarships.

Robinson Brothers Secures EC Funding for SafeRubber Project

The SafeRubber project has received EC funding under the FP7 framework to develop a new, safe, multifunctional accelerator curative molecule which can replace thiourea-based accelerators in the vulcanisation process.

The SafeRubber project, which is led by Robinson Brothers and coordinated by Assocomaplast, brings together a consortium of 12 members from six European countries with a wealth of experience and knowledge in the rubber and plastics industries.

The project partners are focused on developing an innovative solution that will deliver several benefits. This first benefit is an IP-protectable method for producing polychloroprene rubber, with reduces costs associated with health and safety, protecting them from the current dominance of large enterprises. Second, a 90% reduction in the quantities of MgO and ZnO required during vulcanization, achieved through using a multi-functional accelerator, allowing the SME members to compete on cost with Far Eastern suppliers. Finally, the project aims to reduce environmental impact through reduced feedstock (of MgO and ZnO) and effluent hazards associated with the process. 

“We came up with this idea that the ethylene thiourea should be replaced due to its toxicity levels and had to determine the best way to begin that process,” explained Adrian Hanrahan, CEO of Robinson Brothers. “We began with the idea of what molecules and blends of molecules might help us achieve this goal. Since then, a number of partners expressed interest in offering their help to understand what mechanisms should be put in place to prove or disprove our hypothesis.”

Thiourea-based accelerators, in particular ETU, are extensively used in the vulcanization of polychloroprene rubber as they produce high performance rubber cure systems. However, ETU is inherently toxic, being listed as a Category 2 carcinogen under EU classification, and by the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The knowledge of this toxicity sparked the interest of Robinson Brothers and a desire to replace the potentially harmful substance. The SafeRubber project has been granted several million Euro in funding and will use the money over the course of three years with benchmarks in pace to ensure progress