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Natural rubber is the primary product of the coagulation of rubber tree latex. A rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is a tree native to the Amazon region of Brazil. The rubber tree was discovered in the mid-eighteenth century and is currently the main source of natural rubber in the world.
Rubber cultivation is an activity with a strong socioeconomic and environmental appeal.
Features such as elasticity, impermeability, resistance to abrasion and corrosion and easy adhesion to fabrics and steel make natural rubber an excellent raw material for various sectors of agro-industry : hospital / pharmaceutical, toys, clothing, construction, agricultural machinery and industrial and auto parts. In addition, strong global demand related to the current level of production of this commodity guarantees the maintenance of the appreciation of the price of natural rubber in various Bags Goods for the next thirty years.
Characteristics
Natural rubber has unique physical and chemical properties. Rubber exhibits stress-strain behavior called the Mullins effect and the Payne effect. It is often referred to as hyperelastic. Due to the presence of a double bond in each molecule, natural rubber vulcanization is a likely suspect for damaging the ozone.
History
It was the extraction and marketing of rubber that has promoted a great expansion in the colonization of northern Brazil, attracting wealth and causing cultural and social transformation, and great economic and cultural boost to the cities of Manaus and Belém, today the major centers of the region.
In the first decade of the twentieth century, there was a great development of the extraction of rubber in the northern region of Brazil, mainly due to the large production of tires necessary for global auto industry expansion. From 1912, the production of Brazilian borracheiro declined due to foreign competition, especially the English, with their crops in Asia.
Utilities
Approximately 25 million tons of rubber is produced every year, of which 42 percent is natural rubber. The remainder is synthetic rubber derived from petrochemical sources.
About 70 percent of the world's natural rubber is used in tires. The rest of the production results in latex products, such as surgeons gloves, condoms, balloons and other products of relatively high value. The rest conveyor belts, marine products, windshield wipers and other rubber products.
Markets
The main markets for natural rubber, both in the futures market as the spot market, are traded in Asia. It is traded on, Spotlight on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM), the National Commodities Exchange and Derivatives in India, the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand, the Malaysian Rubber Exchange, Osaka Mercantile Exchange and the Singapore Commodity Exchange.
