Polyamine flocculants and creaming agent enhance guayule latex processing

Facile extraction and purification methods are needed to produce guayule latex on a commercial scale. Rubber particles are released from guayule by aqueous homogenization. Acceptable latex purity is achieved by removing non-rubber particle particulates and soluble protein and other components from the homogenate in a multistep washing process. Polyamine flocculants and a creaming agent were investigated as processing aids to shorten this latex purification process. At 1000 ppm, flocculant 2275 yielded 68% more latex than flocculant 2241, whereas a 60% difference in latex yield was observed at 2000 and 3000 ppm, respectively. Latex yield declined in some cases at the highest flocculant concentrations. The type and concentration of flocculant, and the dose and temperature of creaming agent were also investigated. Cationic flocculants and creaming agents enhanced latex yield and may shorten the purification process.