DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED CATALYST FOR CATALYSIS OF ETHYLALCOHOL-ACETALDEHYDE TO BUTADIENE

Abstract

Rubber consumption is an index of industrial growth of a nation. Rapid industrialization during the last decade resulted in an increased demand of rubber products in our country. Natural rubber resources are too meager to meet the total demand. In 1970-71 the production of natural rubber was nearly 92,200 tons while the total con-sumption was 1,34,000 tons(18). It is estimated that total requirement of rubber by the end of Fourth Five Year Plan will be approximately 2,38,000 tons while the production. of natural rubber is expected to be only 1,20,-000 tons. In order to close the widening gap between pro-duction of natural rubber and the total demand for rubber prbducts as well as to conserve available land resources for production of food and other cash crops, the Synthetics and Chemicals Ltd. have built and commissioned in 1963 at Bareilly a synthetic rubber plant to produce 30,000 tons of styrene-butadiene rubber per year using alcohol as raw material. This plant is unique of its kind in the world as it combines at one place facilities for large scale production of butadiene and styrene, the two iMportant raw materials needed for the production of styrene-butadiene rubber.