Extraction and Analysis of Natural Rubber from the Latex of Ficus carica, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Polymer Analysis of Durio zibethinus
- In tropical fruits such as durian (Durio zibethinus) and jackfruit (Artocarpus
heterophyllus), only one quarter to one third of the fruit is edible. Finding more
ways to industrially use the other components of the fruit can reduce the waste
burned or dumped in landfills. Another fruit tree of interest that can also grow
in Austria is the fig tree (Ficus carica). Currently, the fruits are the main product
of that plant; however, components in the latex of the tree are of interest too.
The latex is known to contain natural rubber, which could potentially be used for
industrial applications. Jackfruit trees also produce latex, which contains natural
rubber. In both cases, the natural rubber has different properties compared to
the conventionally used rubber from the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). This
could provide new opportunities in various applications. Therefore, the purpose
of this research is to analyze the properties of the natural rubber obtained from
the jackfruit and fig trees. Additionally, durian fruit also produces a sticky liquid,
so the same experiments were also carried out with durian samples.
The experimental procedure included extraction with acetone and
cyclohexane as well as polymer length determination with gel permeation
chromatography and polymer analysis with differential scanning calorimetry.
The results show that in both jackfruit and fig tree latex, there is natural
rubber of similar polymer length. Durian pulp also contains a polymer; however,
with these experiments, it could not be identified. Further research is required to
identify the durian polymer and to confirm the results of this experiment.