Comparative Study of Alternative Solvents for Grip Designing Process of Natural Rubber Latex Coated Glove Manufacture

Research at a glance

An investigation and comparative study of alternative less toxic organic solvents for xylene in the grip designing step of the natural rubber latex-coated glove manufacturing process was carried out. In the grip designing step, organic solvents are used to create a crinkled surface on the natural rubber latex coating on the supported glove. The toxic nature of xylene which is the solvent currently in use is the main reason for this exploration. Finding an alternative less toxic solvent instead of xylene is crucial for enhancing the health and safety of workers. Acute toxicity parameters such as lethal concentration (LC50), median lethal dose (LD50), and other evidence like exposure limit (PEL and OEL), and carcinogenicity of each selected solvent were comparatively studied. n-heptane, n-hexane, and ethyl acetate were selected as less toxic alternative solvents which can be used instead of xylene for this process. The swelling capability of each selected solvent was studied by doing swelling index tests with each maturation level of LC 601 and LC 606 natural rubber latex types. According to the results, aliphatic solvents (n-hexane and n-heptane solvents) indicated more e൵ective responses with xylene than other selected solvents.