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Rubber tapping is the process by which
My unforgettable rubber tapping experience
KTemoc Kongsamkok, August 21, 2007. so the latex will drip longer before coagulating and sealing the cut. Depending on the final product, additional chemicals can be added to the latex cup to preserve the latex longer. Ammonia solution helps prevent natural coagulation and allows the latex to remain in its liquid state. Plastic bags containing a coagulant have replaced cups in many plantations in Malaysia. This form of latex is used as the raw material for latex concentrate, which is used for dipped rubber products or for the manufacture of ribbed smoke sheet grades. Naturally coagulated latex, sometimes referred to as cup lump, is collected for processing into block rubbers, which are referred to as technically specified rubbers (TSRs). The serum left after latex coagulation is rich in
File:Rubber Tapping knifes.jpg, Tapping knives
File:KITLV - 79940 - Kleingrothe, C.J. - Medan - Tapping of a 23-year-old rubber tree on a plantation in Malaysia - circa 1910.tif, Rubber tapping in Malaya, circa 1910
The Rubber Tapping Process
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rubber Tapping Tree tapping
Rubber tapping is the process by which latex
Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well.
In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...
is collected from a rubber tree
''Hevea brasiliensis'', the Pará rubber tree, ''sharinga'' tree, seringueira, or most commonly, rubber tree or rubber plant, is a flowering plant belonging to the spurge family Euphorbiaceae originally native to the Amazon basin, but is now ...
. The latex is harvested by slicing a groove into the bark of the tree at a depth of with a hooked knife and peeling back the bark. Trees must be approximately six years old and in diameter in order to be tapped for latex.
Rubber tapping is not damaging to the forest, as it does not require the tree to be cut down in order for the latex to be extracted. Jungle rubber is essentially old secondary forest, strongly resembling the primary forest. Its species' richness is about half that of the primary forest. Michon and de Foresta (1994) found that sample jungle rubber sites contained 92 tree species, 97 lianas, and 28 epiphytes compared with 171, 89, and 63, respectively, in the primary forest, and compared with 1, 1, and 2 in monoculture estates. Thiollay (1995) estimated that jungle rubber supports about 137 bird species, against 241 in the primary forest itself. Jungle rubber is expected to resemble primary forest in its hydrological functions. Mono culture rubber tree plantations have far less of an environmental impact than other crops, such as coffee or especially oil palm
''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm '' Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its c ...
.
Process
Each night a rubber tapper must remove a thin layer of bark along a downward half spiral on the tree trunk. If done carefully and with skill, this tapping panel will yieldlatex
Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well.
In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...
for up to five hours. Then the opposite side will be tapped, allowing this side to heal over. The spiral allows the latex to run down to a collecting cup. The work is done at night or in the early morning before the day's temperature rises,KTemoc Kongsamkok, August 21, 2007. so the latex will drip longer before coagulating and sealing the cut. Depending on the final product, additional chemicals can be added to the latex cup to preserve the latex longer. Ammonia solution helps prevent natural coagulation and allows the latex to remain in its liquid state. Plastic bags containing a coagulant have replaced cups in many plantations in Malaysia. This form of latex is used as the raw material for latex concentrate, which is used for dipped rubber products or for the manufacture of ribbed smoke sheet grades. Naturally coagulated latex, sometimes referred to as cup lump, is collected for processing into block rubbers, which are referred to as technically specified rubbers (TSRs). The serum left after latex coagulation is rich in
quebrachitol
Quebrachitol is a naturally occurring optically active cyclitol, a cyclic polyol. It can be found in ''Allophylus edulis'' and in the serum left after the coagulation of the ''Hevea brasiliensis'' latex in the operation of rubber tapping. It is al ...
, a cyclitol or cyclic polyol.
Intensive tapping is done to older trees during its last years just before it is cut. It involves collecting maximum amount of latex by tapping frequently, making double cuts, using yield simulants, etc. Slaughter tapping Slaughter tapping is an obsolete method of extracting large quantities of natural latex from rubber trees in a forest environment. Prior to commercial exploitation of latex-bearing trees such as ''Hevea brasiliensis'' in the Amazon Basin and '' Fun ...
refers to the destructive tapping that was done in late nineteenth century to extract large quantities of natural latex.
See also
*Natural rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
*Forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
* Maple syrup
References
External links
The Rubber Tapping Process
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rubber Tapping Tree tapping