Conference: VN in need of safe natural rubber standards
Conference: VN in need of safe natural rubber standards
Viet Nam needs to establish a national standard for protein-free natural rubber to ensure the safety of products made from it, a seminar related to a Japan-aided project heard in HCM City yesterday.
The "Establishment of Carbon-Cycle-System with Natural Rubber" project is being carried out at the Ha Noi University of Science and Technology and Rubber Research Institute of Viet Nam in co-operation with the Japan-based Nagaoka University of Technology.
The six-year project, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Japan Science and Technology, will be completed by March 2016, seeks to help Viet Nam establish a national standard for protein-free natural rubber.
It will also present the latest research developments in evaluating rubber and methods to purify rubber, and enable the rubber industry to share their needs and knowledge.
Speaking at the meeting, Ngo Thi Ngoc Ha, deputy director of the Viet Nam Standards and Quality Institute, said the country has not had a standard for protein-free natural rubber by which the safety of products can be measured.
The latest research on "de-proteinisation" method under the project would help create a standard, she said.
Products made from natural rubber are environmentally friendly but could cause latex allergy in people, she said.
Conventional leaching and rising methods can only remove protein from the surface but not inside. The latter comes out when the surface is damaged, causing latex allergy.
Prof Tran Van Top, vice president of the Ha Noi University of Science and Technology, said the project includes five research groups, adding its results would pave the way for future development of natural rubber in the country.
Prof Masao Fukuda, the programme leader, said the project aims to help Viet Nam replace synthetic rubber made from fossil sources with natural rubber, enabling "green" development in the country.
Viet Nam is a leading producer of natural rubber and the fourth largest rubber manufacturer in the world.
The meeting was attended by more than 50 senior executives from companies belonging to the Viet Nam Rubber Group, scientists from the Ha Noi University of Science and Technology, Rubber Research Institute of Viet Nam, and Nagaoka University of Technology.
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