Rubber chemicals
Accelerators and antidegradants that let rubber be vulcanised quickly and survive ozone and heat; mostly made in China, with NOCIL India's main producer.
Specialty chemicals · Performance additives · No. 81
- Product family
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- about 1.5 Mt a year (indicative, basis: China output of roughly 1.2 Mt and a world share near 75-80%, as reported by the China Rubber Industry Association; not verified)
- 4.0 t CO₂e per t
- HS 381210
Every tyre on the road was cured with accelerators and guarded from ozone by chemicals mostly made in China.
Chart: Illustration: Rubber chemicals
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Most rubber chemicals are aniline derivatives built from benzene; 6PPD, for example, needs about 0.69 t of 4-ADPA and 0.37 t of MIBK per tonne.
Three things to know
- Making a tonne of the accelerator MBT takes about 0.56 t of aniline, 0.46 t of carbon disulphide and 0.19 t of sulphur.
- California has listed tyres containing the antiozonant 6PPD as a Priority Product, forcing tyre makers to study alternatives.
- NOCIL is spending Rs 250 crore to expand TDQ antioxidant output at Dahej, with trial production in 2026.
The journey
- 1 BenzeneTurned into nitrobenzene, then aniline
- 2 IntermediatesMBT from aniline, carbon disulphide, sulphur
- 3 Finished chemicalsAccelerators like TBBS; antiozonants like 6PPD
- 4 Rubber compoundingMixed with rubber, sulphur and fillers
- 5 Tyres, goodsTyres, hoses, belts, seals and gloves