Styron to convert Ni-BR rubber production line

STYRON announced that it will convert its Nickel Butadiene Rubber (Ni-BR) production train in Schkopau, Germany, to Neodymium Butadiene Rubber (Nd-BR). Coupled with Styron’s existing leading technology in Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SSBR), the Nd-BR offering will allow Styron to help customers around the world meet the increasing demand for green tyres and ultra-high performance tyres.

“The Nd-BR development allows us to further grow our rubber business, broaden our product range and maintain product leadership,” says Francesca Reverberi, Global Business Director of Synthetic Rubber, Styron.  “The investment builds on the success of the third SSBR train in Schkopau that we brought on-line in late 2012, as well as the expanded capacity we took over earlier this year. These investments are all driven to serve our global tire customers.”

In February, Styron announced an agreement with material supplier JSR to acquire its production capacity rights at Schkopau, essentially doubling Styron’s capacity of one train.

The conversion of the Ni-BR production line in Schkopau will begin this year and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2015. The Nd-BR production line will supply customers around the world.  Styron’s Schkopau production site currently hosts seven world-scale rubber trains that supply tyre customers around the world.

Nd-BR is a synthetic rubber used mainly in the production of tyres as well as in a variety of other applications such as industrial rubber goods and polymer modification. The major trend in tyres is towards low rolling resistance, which significantly contributes to improving fuel efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions. Nd-BR in ultra-high performance tyres allows the increase of elasticity/endurance and durability of the wear which results in improved fatigue resistance and groove cracking resistance, better abrasion resistance, higher rebound resilience as well as a lower heat build-up under dynamic stress which ultimately leads to improved rolling resistance in tyres.