The effects of coagulant types on the quality and added value of raw rubber materials

Abstract

Many processing problems still occur, causing the low quality of raw rubber materials and farmers low-income. This can be seen from the use of coagulants, storage methods and the level of cleanliness. This study was aimed at analyzing the quality and added value of raw rubber materials based on the use of coagulant types. This study was conducted in October - November 2021. Fresh latex was obtained from the rubber plantation in Mulyaguna Village, OKI Regency. Completely randomized design was used with 5 treatments and 4 replications. The coagulants used were the recommended ones (liquid smoke, formic acid), and the commonly used by the farmers (sulfuric acid, aluminum sulfate, and TSP fertilizer). The results of the study showed that liquid smoke and formic acid were better than the coagulants commonly used by farmers, which could be seen from the ash content, initial plasticity, and plasticity retention index. The dry rubber contents (DRCs) using liquid smoke, formic acid, sulfuric acid, aluminum sulfate, and TSP fertilizer were 66.081; 62.978; 59.067; 56.202 and 60.796 respectively. Liquid smoke and formic acid provided the added value for raw rubber materials of 1,203/kg IDR and 792/kg IDR compared to sulfuric acid commonly used by farmers.