SYNTHETIC RUBBER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 20, 31 October 1944, Page 7

SYNTHETIC RUBBER

OUTPUT IN AMERICA LOW PRODUCTION COSTS With the placing in operation recently of the huge plant at Houston, Texas for the manufacture of » ** butadiene the original American programme for the production of .synthetic rubber lias been virtually completed. The Houston plant has a capacity of 50,000 short tons of butadiene annually sufficient when combined with the other ingredients to make 60 000 long tons of synthetic rubber or about 10 per cent of America's normal needs in natural rubber. . Since the beginning of 1943 the, output of synthetic rubber has been increasing steadily. During the first quarter of 1943 it was 10,486 long tons ? but it increased to 28,373 in the second quarter 71 217 in the and in the. final quan-t ter. This year synthetic output Is expected to be 870,000 tons. Production in the first quarter was 166, - 500 tons and for the second quarter according to a recent official estimate it will reach 209 800 tons, i ' > | By the. final quarter it is expected that American plants will be producing at the rate of 1 027 000 tons j > a year. One notable feature of the American production is the belief now growing among authorities that it will be possible after the war to produce synthetic rubber at considerably less cost than the United States faced in purchases of the natural product before the war, largely because of the low cost of raw materials in the making of butadiene from oil. Before tlie war, America paid about 22 cents a pound for natural rubber. It is estimated that at the large United States plants butadiene is produced at about. 5 cents a lb. without taking into account depreciation. On this basis j it is estimated that synthetic latex may be produced for 10 cents a lb. At such a level some experts believe it w r ill be possible to produce in competition with natural rubber without subsidy or protection.