Lead Feature

Unravelling the rubber recycling tread

Figuring largely on this scene is Indonesian company Pura Agung, which claims to be one of the largest manufacturers of reclaimed rubber, crumb rubber, carbon black and carbon filler in Asia.

Set up in 2006, in Surabaya Margomulyo Industrial Area, East Java, the company's first factory spanned 5,000 sq m and it had only 50 employees. Due to the burgeoning demand for its products, just two years later in 2008, it moved 50 km to the west of Surabaya city, "to a very nice place in Mojokerto city", according to co-founder/Managing Director Robert Mulyono Putra. "Our new facility spans 6 ha and we now have 250 employees on board," he said.

In this day and age, when sustainability and recycling are becoming popular catch phrases in the industry, Pura Agung founders Dragono Hudibjo and Robert Mulyono Putra have been quick to capture this viable opportunity of reusing rubber scrap like tyres and bladders. Plus, at the same time the company is able to provide a top-of-the-line alternative to virgin material to the rubber and tyre industries at a cost that is still feasible, says Robert.

At present, the company has a capacity of 5,000 tonnes/month of reclaimed rubber, which is exported to more than 25 countries. It is because of the strategic location of Pura Agung's factory in Surabaya, in proximity to an international port, that gives it the edge to facilitate its exports globally to Asia, the US, Australia, Europe and Africa.

According to Robert, the company utilises a patented devulcanised process in producing crumb and recycled rubber materials. While devulcanising is a standard process for reclaiming rubber, the ISO9001-certifed Pura Agung adds value to its products by incorporating the latest technology in its process, says Robert.

"The quality of our various grades of reclaimed rubber (Super, Prime and Ecco) is well known by both local and worldwide customers," said Robert, adding that the company closely adheres to its "perfection through innovation" tagline. "The important thing is that our reclaimed rubber has no odour and we do not use any harmful chemicals in our process. Plus, handling the rubber material is easy due to the neat packing and this allows for faster mixing with the compound."

The company has been successful in the legislation-abiding markets of Europe and the US. "We have supplied our material to many well known tyre brands in Europe, so we have passed the strict quality of the European market," he says.

Owing to the recycling culture that has introduced innovations as well as solutions to abate the wastage problem, reclaimed rubber has started partaking in a billion dollar reduce-reuse-recycle industry and has benefited various industry linkages - from automotive tyres, rubber sheets and adhesives to shoes, fabrics and floorings.

Says Robert, "We supply different grades of materials for industries and even for producing brand new tyres, tyre retreads, rubber mats, hoses, automotive parts, resin-soling sheets/neolite, rubber sheets, shoe soles and conveyor belts."

In addition, the company invests in research "to provide the best products for our customers." In line with its on-going development efforts, the company has developed two new products to add on to its portfolio.

The first of these is Pura Carbon, which is an ultra-fine black carbon filler made from special high-grade processed carbon that enhances the properties and appearance of black colour rubber products. "Due to the low SG (Specific Gravity), the weight of the final product will be lighter after infusion of our fine product," says Robert. Besides the rubber industry, it is also targeted for use in PVC and PU resins.

The second new product is known as Pura Cell. Available in either powder or granule form, it is a light weight filler that renders improved properties. This filler is suitable for non-black applications in rubber and PVC and PU resins.

Both products boast good dispersion ability, surface quality and compression set and are offered as alternatives to using conventional fillers such as calcium carbonate and china clay.

With the increase in the demand for rubber products, the wastage will go up proportionally. According to a 1998 data by the Scrap Tire Management Council, a Washington-based rubber company organisation, in the US alone, there are 270 million scrap tyres generated annually, weighing approximately 3.4 million tonnes, and 500 million are scrap tyres in stockpiles.

This should hold well for Pura Agung's endeavour to meld its social responsibility with environment and goal of innovating products and keep it treading the path to future growth.