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Firestone to build new synthetic plant
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| Title | Firestone to build new synthetic plant |
| Transcription | First Of Its Kind /
Firestone To Build New Synthetic Plant /
By JOSEPH E. KUEBLER
Business And Industrial Writer
A major development in the field of synthetic rubber was in the making today as Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. moved to produce "natural" synthetics on a commercial scale. First such plant of its kind
in the world, the multi-million dollar facility is to be erected at the company's petrochemical center in Orange, Tex.
PRELIMINARY engineering work already has been completed, Chairman Harvey S. Firestone Jr. announced in disclosing plans for the project. The plant will have an annual capacity of 30,000 tons of either Diene or Coral rubber, Firestone-developed synthetics.
Diene is a partial replacement of natural rubber while Coral rubber can replace tree rubber completely. Both rubbers can be made in the same plant. In fact Firestone intends to switch from one to the other as demand requires.
TO DATE, three Akron firms—B. F. Goodrich, Firestone and Goodyear—have developed synthetics that can duplicate or virtually duplicate tree rubber. Their successes were recognized scientific achievements.
Cost of the principal raw material, isoprene, as well as the limited supply, have been major drawbacks. Thus the rubber has not been competitive pricewise with the tree product.
A Firestone spokesman said the company anticipates a sufficient supply of isoprene "when we will need it." Firestone expects to start out producing Diene which doesn't
require isoprene.
THE NEW facility is scheduled to be in operation two years from now. In two years-plus, Firestone feels both the supply of isoprene will be much greater and the price lower.
Developed several years ago, Coral rubber may be used in any application where natural rubber is required.
Diene on the other hand is a more recent development and can be blended with natural or synthetic rubbers. Its principal ingredient is butadiene, which like isoprene, is a byproduct of petrochemical operations.
Butadiene is the principal ingredient in the present synthetic tire rubber and is in plentiful supply.
TESTS indicate that Diene can replace a substantial portion of natural rubber in truck tires. These tires have shown improved crack resistance, satisfactory running temperatures and greatly improved skid resistance due to the pliability of Diene at low temperatures, Firestone said.
"With Diene we can make our supply of natural rubber go twice as far" Firestone added, "since Diene and natural can be combined in equal quantities without loss of the qualities of natural rubber." |
| Description | Two rubber synthetics, Diene and Coral, are to be produced by Firestone Tire and Rubber Company at their petrochemical plant in Orange, Texas. |
| Date | 1959-01-27 |
| Subject | Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
Synthetic Rubber
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| Creator | Kuebler, Joseph E. |
| Publisher | Akron Beacon Journal
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| Contributors | Akron-Summit County Public Library
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| Type | Text
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| Format | 4 x 10.5 in. |
| Source | FT_Firestone builds plant.jpg |
| Language | English |
| Relation | Business & Government pamphlet files
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| Rights | Copyright owned by the Akron Beacon Journal |
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