The meeting marking the end of the second year of the three-year European Saferubber project took place last 21 June at Norner (Norwegian polymer research institute). The research consortium, coordinated by Assocomaplast (Association of Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery and moulds manufacturers), numbers 12 partners, including associations, small and medium businesses, and research institutes, and has received funding as part of the seventh framework program (FP7) of the European Commission.
After two years of work, researchers have identified a molecule capable of replacing Ethylene Thiourea (ETU), an accelerant in the vulcanization process of synthetic rubbers based on polychloroprene. A substitute has been sought as a precautionary measure, given that the use of ETU is suspected on the international level to be a cause of serious health problems.
The project began in June 2010 and is drawing increasing interest, as is also evidenced by the high number of visits to the project website www.saferubber.eu since the beginning of the year.