Although materials such as rubber, textiles, adhesives, and paint may in some cases meet this definition, they are not considered plastics.
The key difference between Rubber and Plastics is that the Rubber is a polymerized product of isoprene whereas Plastic is made of many synthetic and semi-synthetic organic polymer compounds. Many varieties of products are manufactured using rubber and plastic depending on their characteristic nature.
Key difference: The main difference between plastic and rubber is based on their nature, structure, and production, wherein the plastic is a man-made, artificial or a by-product of oil and rubber is a natural product which is derived from the sap of the rubber trees.
Rubber is durable, and more eco-friendly than plastic. It lasts longer, and stands up better against heat and cold than plastics.
Rubber is an elastic material that can be produced naturally from various plant sources or synthetically through a variety of chemical processes.
Natural rubber is made from liquid tree sap, latex, that comes from a variety of trees and plants. Most of the latex comes from the Hevea brasiliensis tree.
Natural rubber is produced from plants and is classified as a polymer. A polymer is a chemical compound with large molecules made of many smaller molecules of the same kind.
Natural rubber is widely considered a more eco-friendly and better product than synthetic rubber, but it still presents some issues. Natural rubber contributes to deforestation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and more. But climate change and disease also threaten natural rubber.
Balloons can be made of either rubber or plastic. Plastic (Mylar) balloons have a seam and are made of a metal (foil) coated plastic such as polyethylene or nylon. They usually have a shiny, reflective surface and oftentimes have designs with pictures and/or words. Latex balloons are the traditional 'party' balloons.
Technically, silicone could be considered part of the rubber family. But, if you define plastics widely, as we do, silicone is something of a hybrid between a synthetic rubber and a synthetic plastic polymer. Silicone can be used to make malleable rubber-like items, hard resins, and spreadable fluids.
More severely, if someone has a high concentration exposure to such fumes, it can create lung damage and even cancer or other serious hazards. Rubber has a lot of carcinogens used in its production.
Plastics used for replacing metal are often composed from carbon or glass-reinforced mixtures. Other materials that are commonly substituted with plastic include: Rubber: Rubber is often substituted with relatively inexpensive plastics, such as thermoplastic olefins and thermoplastic elastomers.
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), sometimes referred to as thermoplastic rubbers, are a class of copolymers or a physical mix of polymers (usually a plastic and a rubber) that consist of materials with both thermoplastic and elastomeric properties.
Therefore, vulcanized rubber as an elastic, insoluble, and infusible thermoset material cannot be directly reprocessed. This is an important limitation for material recycling, especially after the end of life of a part.
Natural rubber has a high tensile strength and is resistant to fatigue from wear, such as chipping, cutting or tearing. ON the downside, natural rubber is only moderately resistant to heat, light and ozone damage. Natural rubber is used in gaskets, seals, shock mounts, hoses and tubing.
When low costs and high production volumes are required, plastic usually delivers faster cycle times and considerably lower material costs than rubber, which is partly due to the different processes involved.
Party balloons are mostly made of a natural latex tapped from rubber trees, and can be filled with air, helium, water, or any other suitable liquid or gas. The rubber's elasticity makes the volume adjustable.
Osmosis or permeation is the ability of air to pass through the structure of the tire rubber. It exits the tire at the rate of 1-3 psi per month. The exact air loss is usually determined by the model and make of the tire. Different rubber blends provide different rates of permeation.
Latex balloons are made with natural latex, a type of rubber sap from the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). This serves as a cruelty-free and (less gross) alternative to the animal bladder balloon of the past.
Most rubber products are classified as non-hazardous materials and therefore would be non-hazardous waste.
The production of manmade rubber also leads to air pollution – when heated for molding, it releases toxins into the air. Water pollution is also associate with synthetic rubber production. It varies from country to country, but SBR and butadiene are common contaminants of water during synthetic rubber production.
Natural latex rubber is made from the latex of the rubber tree and is generally more biodegradable than synthetic rubber. However, it can still take hundreds of years to degrade fully. On the other hand, synthetic rubber is made from petrochemicals and is not biodegradable.
As much as 28 percent of microplastics in the ocean comes from tires shedding synthetic rubber as they wear down.
Natural rubber is polyisoprene in which monomer units are of isoprene i,e 2-methyl-1,3 butadiene. Natural rubber is obtained in the form of solid particles suspended in a milky white liquid (called latex) that drips from the bark of certain tropical and subtropical trees.
Both natural rubber and synthetic rubber are used abundantly, but they often have different applications and use cases. Let's explore the differences between natural vs. synthetic rubber and why natural rubber may be the most ecologically healthy choice.