Case Studies
Real industrial applications of spectroscopy intelligence — from field trials to live operational deployments.
Natural Rubber Latex Concentration Measurement
Dry Rubber Content (DRC) determination using the classical ASTM D1076 method is time-intensive and resource-heavy. IDIR deployed NIR spectroscopy to deliver equivalent accuracy in a fraction of the time — without destroying the sample.
Challenge
- Classical DRC method (ASTM D1076) takes ~10 minutes per sample
- Destructive method consumes reagents and creates waste
- High throughput plantation and factory QC demands faster turnaround
Spectroscopy Approach
- NIR spectroscopy for rapid DRC prediction
- Non-destructive — samples remain intact for further testing
- Measurement time: 10 seconds vs 10 minutes (60× faster)
- Chemically specific — directly measures rubber content
Validation
- Calibrated against ASTM D1076 reference measurements
- Validated across a range of latex grades and concentrations
- Tested at both field collection points and processing factories
Outcome
- 60× faster measurement — transforms plantation throughput
- Significant savings in time, reagents and energy
- Enables real-time QC on incoming latex at the factory gate
- Non-destructive — supports multiple downstream tests on same sample
10 seconds versus 10 minutes — a 60× speed improvement over classical ASTM D1076, with equivalent accuracy and zero sample destruction.