A new book takes a deep dive into the live legacy of rubber

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Latex is collected from rubber trees in the north of Laos (Istock) Summary Biologist Vidya Rajan decode science and history behind rubber, a substance that forms the basis of modern life in the 1770s, Vidya Rajan writes in her book Rubber: the social and natural history of an indispensable substance, an English engineer with the first time. Most likely, he did not have pieces of bread handy, which was then used for this purpose. It was a happy accident, making Nairne a rich man. In the emerging days of his discovery, he sold the first erasers for as much as 3 shillings by piece, equivalent to the income of a daily wage worker of his time. About 250 years later, rubber still serves millions worldwide, from artists and architects to writers and school kids. Even this benign episode has a undercurrent of greed that has defined rubber trade over the centuries. Start with the Meso -American, of whom Spanish colonialists stole this precious substance, to the atrocities performed in plantations in the Congo under King Leopold, the history of rubber is loaded with iniquities. Rajan, a trained biologist, tells the story of the evolution of latex (from which rubber was made), which demosages science behind the remarkable versatility, which is used to make erasers as well as sturdy waterproofing materials. Rubber not only made and unmade empires, but will also have a major impact on the future of the planet. Also read: Book Excerpt: An Army General looks back on the 1948 Indo-Pak conflict edited excerpts from an interview. Is rubber the bloodiest crop, given its colonial legacy? Any death due to exploitation is deplorable. It is not only colonial interests, but also corporate entities, militarized groups and individuals who practice exploitation, for example in mining for ‘blood’ diamonds or Coltan for electronics. Rubber certainly has a terrible bloody and exploitative history. Of crops, cotton, sugar, banana and tobacco are some that have caused people tremendous pain. Much of the abuse remains undocumented due to remote locations, insufficient record or sluggish communication. Some were products of colonization. But others are due to exploitation for profit despite shared ethnicity. The profit motive is usually extractive when natural resources are involved. How do you read Britain’s interest in the exposure of atrocities in the Congo rubber plantations, when they were guilty of horrific imperialist ambitions in other parts of the world? The eagerness of powerful offenders to keep atrocities hidden needs the truth by vulnerable victims to make personal statements, and brave witnesses to deliver documentation such as photos. When administrations convince themselves that they, in balance, offer benefits, show their willingness to overlook the injustice to some of the population. It still happens. And while direct communication and social media can quickly convey information, a derivative and overwhelmed public often do not respond to justice claim. It is public screams that get results. Colonial powers, including Britain, have convinced themselves that they offer benevolent administration, uplifting technology, religious education, the protection of commercial, educational or medical benefits. Maybe they turned a blind eye or hit the wrist rather than penalty when these atrocities came to light. As for the Belgian Congo and Putumayo in the Peruvian Amazon, the truth narrators in Britain became public, which led to a public scream that put British politicians under pressure to recognize and investigate in areas where they had authority. Charles Goodyear’s obsession with rubber led to his downfall. What does his perseverance explain if the substance did not have as wide as now? Since Charles Goodyear was familiar with some of the uses that were already commercially profitable (float devices, bags, boots, waterproof clothing, snakes), he could undoubtedly dream much more. Others were also in the game, so Ideas for the use of rubber did not lack, although cars with rubber bands were not yet in use. Only decades later, the car tires industry skyrocketed the value of rubber. The perseverance and monomania of Goodyear were therefore truly remarkable, a product of real fascination. But it is certainly difficult to understand his pawning of his children’s textbooks and leave his family’s needy. His unconsciousness of the well -being of his family is partly what makes him such an enigmatic and compelling character. India is currently on no. 4 Worldwide in rubber production. How did we get here? The British ambition in the late 19th century would be access to rubber. This has led them to purbloin rubber trees from Brazil and bring them to their environments similar tropical rainforest colonies in Southeast Asia. After World War II, a wave of decolonization (of British, Dutch and French colonization) swept through Asia with several countries of rubber producers – India in 1947, Indonesia and Vietnam in 1949, Malaysia in 1957 – received their plantations and production structure. 80% of India production is of small farmers rather than estates, and Kerala produces 90% of the annual rubber crop. Kerala has set up the Cooperative Marketing Federation (Rubber Market), which offers joint small farmers price negotiation benefits of major producers. It encourages small farmers to grow family plots and make rubber one of several revenue streams. India’s National Rubber Board (erected in 1947) offers research, training, marketing and other functions to support rubber producers in the country. What gives scientific, what gives natural rubber its unique quality? Rubber is a biopolymer of isoprene units. Tens of thousands of isoprene units are combined with CIS link to make the tremendous long rubber molecule. Thousands of these long molecules intertwine each other, and usually slip around each other like cooked and oiled spaghetti. Chemical modifications, such as cutting between strands, can modulate the setback to stretch, mentioned elasticity and the ability to bend without breaking, called flexibility. Rubber shows another unique trait, from rally when heated, which is extremely useful in belts for rotating cars. The unique quality of natural rubber is the convenience of including chemical additives or treatment to produce materials as diverse as sturdy but elastic aircraft ties to maintain the weight of an aircraft during landing, thin but resilient airbags that expand exploding without bars, and heatware, hard rubber for flooring. No synthetic rubber polymer (still produced) corresponds to the properties of natural rubber. What does the future of rubber look like in terms of the environmental impact and sustainable use of it? Synthetic rubber ties in the shortage for some uses, but given that natural rubber is an indispensable substance for various uses (such as aircraft ties), the demand is still increasing. Para rubber trees (Hevea Brasiliensis) should be typed in early morning, and the latex collected during the day for clotting so that access to the trees needs clear and unobstructed paths. There are negative effects of increasing production in tropical areas because it needs the wilderness, with collateral damage to complex ecosystems. However, rubber from the roots of the humble Russian dandelion, Taraxacum Kok-Saghyz, produces rubber of equivalent quality as para-rubber. Although it requires large quantities of dandelion roots, these plants have other benefits: they grow in moderate regions rather than biodiversity tropical rainforests, support pollinators, produce value-added products such as inulin, fatty acids, phenolic compounds, cubtary and chicoric acids and sesquiser acids. The remains can be used as feed or fertilizer. In terms of sustainability, a great advantage will be to recycle or reuse rubber products. Some waste rubber is burned for energy, but toxic volatile substances must be scrubbed. The bacterium Gordonia polyisoprenivorens, and some less well -characterized bacterial and fungal species break down tire rubber and possibly other rubber material, but industrial processes should be optimized and residual products detoxified. For example, an antioxidant used in tires, 6pdd, is toxic to salmon, and should be dropped from the water bodies. Extra-terrestrial profession by people will also need rubber. We must plan for an increase in demand and for the management of rubber waste on other planets. Also read: ‘Dr. Strangelove’ remains the essential anti-war film that catches all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on live mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #Features Mint Specials