The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has released a demonstration tire with 70% sustainable-material content, including industry-leading innovations.
It is in line with its goal in 2020 to create a tyre made 100% from sustainable materials in 10 years, according to Chris Helsel, Senior Vice President, global operations and chief technology officer.
The 70% sustainable-material tyre includes 13 featured ingredients across nine different tyre components, including carbon black for compound reinforcement and to help increase the tyre’s life and has traditionally been made by burning various types of petroleum products.
Goodyear’s new tyre features three different carbon blacks that are produced from methane, carbon dioxide, and plant-based oil. Initial life cycle assessments demonstrate either reduced carbon emissions compared with current methods of carbon black production or the use of bio-based or waste feedstock sources.
The use of soybean oil in tires helps keep a tire’s rubber compound pliable in changing temperatures. Soybean oil is a bio-based resource that reduces Goodyear’s use of petroleum-based products. While nearly 100% of soy protein is used in food/animal feed applications, a significant surplus of oil is left over and available for use in industrial applications.
Silica is an ingredient often used in tyres to help improve grip and reduce fuel consumption. Goodyear’s new tyre contains a unique variety of silica produced from rice husk ash, a byproduct of rice processing that is often discarded and put into landfills. A high-quality silica has been produced from this waste ash.
Polyester is recycled from plastic bottles and other plastic waste by reverting the polyester into its base chemicals and reforming them into technical grade polyester feasible for tire cords.