Styrene Butadiene Rubber, Emulsion (E-SBR)
Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) is the most widely used synthetic elastomer. SBR demand is concentrated in durable goods, primarily automotive applications, such as tires and tire products, which account for about 70% of global consumption. Nontire markets represent about 25–30% of SBR demand with applications in automotive components, mechanical parts, and a wide variety of other end uses. SBR’s main advantage in tire applications is that it provides longer life to tire treads.
Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) generally has a broader range of applications than polybutadiene rubber (PBR), which is primarily used to produce tires. While tire production is the largest single end use of SBR, it is also used to make belts, hoses, other mechanical parts, gaskets, and a number of other rubber goods. The properties of emulsion SBR (E-SBR) can be very similar to natural rubber; therefore, market dynamics are often influenced by the relative price levels of natural rubber and E-SBR. Solution SBR (S-SBR) is an important component of “green” tires as its use allows compounding that significantly reduces tire rolling resistance, improving vehicle fuel economy without sacrificing other performance properties. There are Emulsion SBR and Solution SBR.