Processing of Natural Rubber Latex Concentrate (NRLC) Using A Novel Method of Creaming Based on Tamarind Kernel Powder (TKP) and Cassava Processing Effluents (CPE)

Abstract

The purification and concentration of Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) can be achieved through the process of creaming. This is usually carried out by the addition of small quantities of some water-soluble colloids or creaming agents. Such include ammonium alginate, sodium alginate, sodium cellulose glycollate, methyl cellulose, aluminum cellulose glycollate, pectins, extract of carragheen moss, glue, gelatine, gum Arabic,  gum acacia  Senegal, locust bean gum,  gum tragacanath, tamarind  Kernel Powder, gum  Karaya, and Polysaccharides such as maize,  sorghum, rice, yam, potato starch and cassava starch. Many of such creaming agents are made from chemicals that are finite, imported, and therefore very expensive and some are toxic to human health and wellbeing. The production of such chemicals leads to a lot of environmental pollution and its attendant degradation and health virus, not to mention their exorbitance. These imported creaming agents are now beyond the reach of smallholder farmers and cottage industrialists. The use of vegetative creaming agents such as locust bean, polysaccharides, tamarind kernel powder, etc. has been reported and practiced and the results have been very good and encouraging (BIS 2001, Blackley, 2010). Fresh, natural rubber latex (FNRL) (with 40% rubber and 60% water) can be processed into concentrated natural rubber latex (CNRL). This is done to meet industrialists' demand, increase its economic value, increase its dry rubber content (DRC) and ease transportation costs. Also, dipped goods usually require a high concentration of DRC and purification too. Products such as hand gloves, condoms, balloons, pillows, mattresses and suckers, teats, and catheters are usually made from concentrated latex. Methods such as centrifugation, evaporation, electro-decantation and creaming are the methods used for purifying and concentrating FNRL. However, due to the cost of most chemicals imported into the country and the high cost of machines also imported, many entrepreneurs have tried to develop green rubber processing methods. These methods do not require the use of big bogus expensive machines. The main object of this project is to develop a system to prepare cream-concentrated natural rubber latex (CNRL) without using sophisticated machines and importing expensive chemicals. We will work on a simple, cheap, green, environmentally and health-friendly method to produce cream CNRL. The main parameters of the cream CNRL such as DRC, Total Solids Content (TSC), Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA), Alkalinity and mechanical stability time (MST) of the cream CNRL, would be tested and evaluated. The use of vegetative creaming agents like those listed above has long been practiced and reported Tamarind kernel powder (TKP) and Cassava Processing Effluents powder (CPE) would be used as the dual or joint creaming agents in a synergy.