Published September 1967
Synthetic cis-polyisoprene rubber is a relatively new commercial product. It has been available in significant amounts only in this decade. This report is concerned with the raw material for this synthetic rubber: polymerization grade isoprene monomer.
Five process routes were evaluated. Two of these processes are practiced commercially, two have been investigated on a pilot plant scale, and the remaining method has shown promising laboratory results. Several potential processes (i.e., Houdry dehydrogenation, oxidative dehydrogenation in the absence or presence of halogens, and extraction) were not evaluated since they are of more interest in connection with butadiene manufacture which will be covered in Phase III of the Process Economics Program.
