Case Study Chemical analysis of extractables Customer: Tire Producer, Italy

Case Study
Chemical analysis of extractables
Customer: Tire Producer, Italy
The customer is an important Italian multinational tire producer. Pneumatic tires are manufactured according to relatively standardized processes and with standardized machinery in
about 450 tire factories around the world. With over 1 billion tires manufactured worldwide
annually, the tire industry is the major consumer of natural rubber. Tire factories start with bulk
raw materials such as rubber, carbon black, and chemicals and produce numerous specialized
components that are assembled and cured.
Application: Polymer extraction according to ASTM D5774-95
Synthetic rubbers such as styrene-butadiene copolymers (commonly referred to as SBR) are
the fundamental raw materials for the tire production. Raw material routine tests and analysis
of new compounds are performed in the R&D and QC laboratories of tire production plants.
According to the ASTM Standard Test Method D5774-95 total extractable compounds are extracted with Toluene and analyzed by a gravimetric determination. After extraction, the residual
sample is weighed and total soaps and organic acids are determined in the extraction solvent.
Equipment: Extraction System B-811
The Extraction System B-811 is the most convenient and versatile of all automated extraction
systems offering 4 different extraction techniques in one unit. Perform a Soxhlet Standard, a
Soxhlet Warm, a Hot Extraction, or Continuous Flow – each process is fully automated and
controlled. Every extraction mode can be set up with three main steps - extraction, flushing and
drying - which are electronically controlled to guarantee reproducible conditions, reliable results
and time and solvent savings.
Benefit / Conclusion: “It was so convincing that we didn’t wait too much time to have more than one unit in the lab!”
CQ Lab Chemist
CH-093-12/11
Replacing traditional glassware Soxhlet extractors with the BUCHI Extraction System B-811
allowed the customer to keep his well established method, save time and solvent and work in
a cleaner and safer environment.