Carbon black manufacturer Cabot Corporation has expanded its Engineered Elastomer Composites (E2C) product line for use in retreading applications for off-the-road (OTR) tyres. Enabled by propriety process technology that mixes reinforcing carbons into elastomers, E2C solutions for the OTR tyre retreading application are claimed to maximise the life of retreads, improve the productivity and efficiency of mining operations, and reduce impact on the environment.
Retreading is a prime example of the circular economy as worn tires are repaired for reuse rather than being disposed as waste. As tyre manufacturers and mining companies look to decrease their environmental footprints, retreading OTR tyres can save tyres from landfills and enable fleets to operate more sustainably. OTR tyre retreaders and rubber compound suppliers can now leverage Cabot’s E2C products to extend the life of the retread by as much as 30%, reducing tyre costs and improving the productivity of operations by decreasing the frequency of truck downtime for a tyre replacement.
Cabot’s current portfolio of E2C products, which includes E2C DX9730, E2C DX9640, and E2C FX9390 grades can deliver several benefits for retreading applications. Since E2C products are delivered in a pre-mixed form, rubber compounders can create differentiated products without the need to handle additional specialty fillers and can expand production capacity by reducing both the time and total number of mixing steps. Rubber compounders have used Cabot E2C products in both tangential and intermesh type mixers for rubber compounding. Both pre-cure and strip winding processes can be used to retread OTR tyres made with E2C solutions. Retreads leveraging E2C technology have been successfully deployed into field locations in both North and South America in OTR tyres ranging from 35 to 63-inch diameter.
“Sophisticated operators of OTR vehicles have long recognized the economic and sustainability benefits of retreading tyres and have worked together with retreaders and rubber compound manufacturers to build a circular economy that reuses a significant quantity of OTR tyres,” said David Reynolds, vice president and general manager, Cabot Engineered Elastomer Composites.
The expansion of E2C products for use in retreading of OTR tyres furthers the commercialization of these products in mining applications, as Cabot continues to execute against its long-term growth objectives for the business.