TYRE maker Michelin and Agro-industrial group Tereos are jointly developing a rubber made by biomass derived from sugar beet, wheat or maize, or from crop wastes, which could replace some of the natural and oil-based synthetic rubber used in tyres.
Tests have shown that rubber can be made from biomass, but the firms yet to determine which commodities must be used or how much of the rubber content in a tyre should be replaced with the biomass.
They are planning to build an industrial unit by 2020.