TYRE maker Continental, in collaboration with other experts , is working on tyres that are made from renewable materials with very minimal fossil material components.
The team have replaced fossil oils with rapeseed oils and polyester with rayon as reinforcement for the body of the tyre (carcass).
At the same time, synthetic and natural rubber is being replaced by increasing quantities of recycled rubber from old tyres.
Dr. Boris Mergell, Head of Material and Process Engineering for Continental tyres commented that achieving “green tyres” is not simple as “Not all raw materials in tyres can simply be replaced by renewable materials, ” he said.
“In many cases, such materials have a negative impact on braking performance or rolling resistance – and we will not accept any compromise here. Also, the widespread replacement of fossil materials with renewable raw materials is not always a solution since it requires acreage that might already be used in food production.”
He explains that a standard Continental passenger car tyre already contains almost 45% non-oil-based materials. “In terms of environmentally friendly materials, tyres are better than their reputation,” he said.