Against the backdrop of the global acceleration towards carbon neutrality, silicone rubber and silicone oil are a new journey of sustainable development in green technology with the power of materials science innovation. As the "environmental vanguards" of the organosilicon materials family, they not only continue to optimize performance in traditional application fields but also open up new frontiers in environmental protection through molecular design innovation and circular economy models, including biodegradable materials, energy efficiency improvement, pollution prevention, and more. From solving white pollution to supporting clean energy, they are writing a new chapter in material environmental protection with their unique performance codes.

一、Biodegradable Innovation: Cracking the White Pollution Puzzle

The non-degradability of traditional synthetic rubber imposes huge pressure on the environment, while the molecular structure innovation of silicone rubber provides new ideas for solving this problem. Researchers have developed environmentally friendly biodegradable silicone rubber by introducing hydrolyzable ester bonds or dynamic covalent bonds. When these materials complete their service life, they can be gradually decomposed into harmless small-molecule substances through microbial or hydrolytic action in specific environments, avoiding the ecological damage caused by the accumulation of traditional rubber waste.

In the field of packaging materials, biodegradable silicone rubber has begun to replace traditional plastics for food packaging. A multinational food enterprise's trial of biodegradable silicone rubber cling film not only maintains the preservation performance of ordinary silicone rubber but also achieves a degradation rate of over 70% in natural environments, with decomposition products that do not pollute soil or water sources. In the medical field, biodegradable silicone rubber is being used to manufacture temporary implants such as internal stents, whose degradation rate can be precisely regulated by molecular structure, gradually decomposing and being absorbed by the human body after completing their supporting function, avoiding the pain of secondary surgery for removal.

The environmental innovation of silicone oil focuses on recyclability and low toxicity. Through the development of efficient molecular distillation recycling technology, the purification and regeneration rate of waste silicone oil has been increased to over 90%, greatly reducing resource consumption. An electronics company uses a closed-loop recycling system to purify waste silicone oil generated in the production process and reuse it for semiconductor equipment lubrication, reducing new silicone oil usage by 30 tons annually while lowering waste treatment costs.

二、Energy Efficiency Revolution: Green Production and Consumption

In the improvement of energy efficiency in industrial production, silicone rubber and silicone oil have become key materials for energy consumption reduction. The high insulation and temperature resistance of silicone rubber make it a prominent player in motor energy saving. After a motor manufacturer adopted a silicone rubber insulation coating, the temperature resistance grade of the motor winding was upgraded from Class F to Class H, reducing energy consumption by 8% at the same power and decreasing carbon emissions by approximately 150,000 tons annually. This insulation material also reduces energy loss during motor operation, improving the overall efficiency of the equipment.

Silicone oil demonstrates unique advantages in the thermal management systems of new energy vehicles. The boiling point of traditional cooling liquids limits battery heat dissipation efficiency, while the high boiling point (exceeding 300°C) and low volatility of silicone oil make it an ideal heat dissipation medium for high-voltage battery packs. After a new energy vehicle brand used a silicone oil-based cooling system, the working temperature fluctuation range of the battery pack was controlled within ±3°C, the driving range increased by 12%, and the battery cycle life was extended to over 2,000 times. This cooling solution also reduces the replacement frequency of cooling liquids, lowering maintenance costs and environmental pollution risks.

In the field of building energy conservation, the application of silicone rubber sealants has significantly improved the thermal insulation performance of buildings. Compared with traditional sealing materials, the thermal conductivity of silicone rubber sealants is reduced by 40%, reducing indoor heat loss in winter and blocking external heat in summer. An energy-saving building demonstration project shows that doors and windows sealed with silicone rubber reduce the air conditioning energy consumption of buildings by 25%, reducing carbon emissions by 12 kg per square meter of building area annually.

三、Frontiers of Pollution Prevention: Environmental Protection Solutions from Source to End

Silicone rubber plays the role of an "environmental guardian" in industrial pollution prevention. In chemical production, corrosion-resistant linings made of silicone rubber can effectively resist the erosion of corrosive media such as strong acids and alkalis, avoiding environmental pollution caused by harmful substance leakage. After a chemical enterprise replaced the inner lining of its reaction kettle with fluoro-silicone rubber, harmful gas leakage was reduced by 90%, and the equipment maintenance cycle was extended from 6 months to 2 years, both reducing pollution risks and improving production efficiency.

The low toxicity and environmental compatibility of silicone oil have made it emerge in the field of environmentally friendly pesticides. As a pesticide carrier, silicone oil can improve the leaf adhesion and penetration capacity of pesticide solutions, increasing the effective utilization rate of pesticides by over 30%, thereby reducing pesticide usage. After a tea garden adopted silicone oil-based pesticides, the pesticide application per mu was reduced by 20%, the pesticide residue in tea was reduced to 1/3 of the national standard, and the pollution risks to soil and groundwater were significantly decreased.

In the treatment of electronic waste, the recyclability of silicone rubber and silicone oil helps solve the problem of "e-waste". Through special chemical depolymerization processes, waste silicone rubber products can be re-decomposed into siloxane monomers for preparing new silicone rubber materials. After an electronic waste treatment plant adopted this technology, the recovery rate of silicone rubber components reached 85%, reducing the landfilling of approximately 5,000 tons of electronic waste annually. The precision purification technology of silicone oil can convert waste silicone oil into high-purity products, reusing them in high-end electronic equipment to achieve circular utilization of resources.

四、Circular Economy Model: Building a Sustainable Material Ecology

The circular economy innovation of silicone rubber and silicone oil is reshaping the ecological chain of the materials industry. From raw material production to product recycling, life-cycle environmental design has become a development trend. At the raw material end, breakthroughs have been made in the research and development of bio-based siloxanes. A research team has synthesized siloxane monomers using corn straw fermentation products, reducing the carbon footprint of silicone rubber production by 40%. This bio-based silicone rubber has begun to be used in manufacturing environmentally friendly daily necessities, opening up a new path for sustainable material production.

In the product design stage, "recyclable design" has become an important standard for silicone rubber products. A sports equipment manufacturer launched a silicone rubber yoga mat with a single-material design and recycling marks, increasing the product's recycling rate to 90%. This design concept is being promoted in more fields. From baby products to industrial parts, the recyclability of silicone rubber products has gradually become an important indicator of market competition.

The circular utilization of silicone oil has formed a mature industrial model. In equipment such as hydraulic systems and transformers, regularly replaced silicone oil can be purified and regenerated through professional recycling networks. A power company's established silicone oil recycling system can process 1,000 tons of waste silicone oil annually, and the regenerated silicone oil meets 95% of the new oil standards, both reducing enterprise costs and easing environmental burdens. This closed-loop model of "use-recycle-regenerate" provides a benchmark for the sustainable development of liquid organosilicon materials.

From the molecular design of biodegradable materials to the industrial practice of circular economy models, silicone rubber and silicone oil are promoting the transformation of the materials industry towards sustainable development with the innovative power of green technology. Driven by the global carbon neutrality goal, these new environmental applications of organosilicon materials not only solve environmental problems but also create new industrial value. With continuous technological breakthroughs, they will demonstrate potential in more environmental protection fields, contributing the wisdom of materials science to building a green future of harmony between humanity and nature.



Low compression set Fluorosilicone compound（MY-FSR SERIES）