Addition of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) into Natural Rubber Latex

Manufacturer: We are a producer of latex concentrate.  Our technical team members are arguing about how much diammonium phosphate should be added to the field latex to remove the naturally occurring magnesium. Your input here will be highly appreciated.

John Woon (Senior Latex Consultant): The question of how much DAP is required has been debated over many years with many different schools of thought.  One school of thought expresses concern that, if all the magnesium in the latex has been removed with DAP, the phosphate ions released through hydrolysis of the inherent phospholipids could destabilize the latex, since there is no residual magnesium left to react with.

They therefore suggest that the actual amount of DAP to be used should be only about 80% of the calculated stoichiometric level. On the other hand, other schools of thought actually suggest that the addition of DAP should be about 5% more.

You should conduct experiments to determine what the best solution for your own situation is.