Process for extracting rubber and by-products from guayule and guayule-like shrubs
AssigneeThe Firestone Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsEdward L. Kay, Richard Gutierrez
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Rubber, hydrocarbons, i.e., resins, and other useful by-products are extracted, recovered and isolated from shrubs such as guayule and guayule-like shrubs by a procedure wherein the entire non-defoliated shrub, after being comminuted, is processed in an aqueous and/or a non-aqueous system. An optional water treatment step can be used to remove water solubles and/or facilitate processing and achieve increased yield of desired by-products.
Claims7
A process for isolating rubber, resins, water-solubles, and bagasse from comminuted guayule and guayule-like fibrous plant material which comprises the steps of:
- (a) drying the plant material to a moisture content of about 5 to about 25%;
- and then
- (b) deresinating with essentially anhydrous oxygenated organic solvent which is resin miscella comprising acetone and at least about 4% resin;
- (c) recovering rubber, water-solubles and by-product bagasse by water flotation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.