Synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber is any type of artificial elastomer mainly synthesised from petroleum byproducts. Bouchardat created one form of synthetic rubber, producing a polymer of isoprene in a laboratory in 1879. Russian scientist Sergei Vasiljevich Lebedev created a form of synthetic rubber that that able to be produced on a large scale, which occurred in World War 1. The first rubber plant was also opened in Russia.
During World War II the production of synthetic rubber expanded greatly in the United States because by the mid-1942’s, once Japan conquered Asia, the Axis controlled nearly all the world’s supply of natural rubber. Thus, Allied countries like America turned to synthetic rubber to replace the lack of natural rubber. Waldo Semon, a scientist who worked for B. F. Goodrich Company, made a new and cheaper version of synthetic rubber known as Ameripol in 1940. Ameripol helped synthetic rubber become much more cost effective and made it meet the country’s needs in World War II. Synthetic rubber was very critical since a lot of things required or needed rubber like the wheels on military trucks and other vehicles. Because of mass production of these vehicles, they needed every bit of rubber available. Due to this, the U.S. government launched a major and mostly secret effort to improve synthetic rubber production and quality. GRS or Government Rubber Styrene was designated as the basis for the U.S. synthetic rubber production during World War II. A total of 50 factories were manufacturing it by 1944, it was being produced twice as much as the world's natural rubber production before the beginning of the war. About half of total world production is still represented by synthetic rubber.
During World War II the production of synthetic rubber expanded greatly in the United States because by the mid-1942’s, once Japan conquered Asia, the Axis controlled nearly all the world’s supply of natural rubber. Thus, Allied countries like America turned to synthetic rubber to replace the lack of natural rubber. Waldo Semon, a scientist who worked for B. F. Goodrich Company, made a new and cheaper version of synthetic rubber known as Ameripol in 1940. Ameripol helped synthetic rubber become much more cost effective and made it meet the country’s needs in World War II. Synthetic rubber was very critical since a lot of things required or needed rubber like the wheels on military trucks and other vehicles. Because of mass production of these vehicles, they needed every bit of rubber available. Due to this, the U.S. government launched a major and mostly secret effort to improve synthetic rubber production and quality. GRS or Government Rubber Styrene was designated as the basis for the U.S. synthetic rubber production during World War II. A total of 50 factories were manufacturing it by 1944, it was being produced twice as much as the world's natural rubber production before the beginning of the war. About half of total world production is still represented by synthetic rubber.
SYnthetic fuel
Synthetic Fuel or Synfuel is a liquid fuel obtained from natural gas, coal, oil shale, or biomass. It usually means fuel that is derived from other solids such as plastic or rubber waste. Direct conversion of coal to synthetic fuel was originally developed in Germany. Germany used synthetic oil manufacturing to produce substitute oil products by using the Bergius process (from coal), the Fischer–Tropsch process (water gas), and other methods in World War II. The British Department of Scientific and Industrial Research located in Greenwich, England set up a small facility where hydrogen gas was combined with coal at extremely high pressures to make a synthetic fuel in 1931. The Bergius process plants were Nazi Germany's primary source of high-grade aviation gasoline, synthetic oil, synthetic rubber, synthetic ammonia, synthetic methanol, and nitric acid. A demonstration plant for converting coal to gasoline was built and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Louisiana, Missouri in 1949. After World War II direct coal conversation plants were also developed in the U.S.
Of course this was an extremely useful because oil is not the only fuel source and more things can be converted into fuel. This is true for the WWII era and today. Unfortunately this pollutes the earth with every barrel of fuel.
Of course this was an extremely useful because oil is not the only fuel source and more things can be converted into fuel. This is true for the WWII era and today. Unfortunately this pollutes the earth with every barrel of fuel.
