To reduce carbon emissions, the South Korean industrial sector has developed and commercialised what it says is the country’s first tyre using chemically recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
South Korean companies SK Chemicals, Hyosung Advanced Materials, and Hankook Tire & Technology announced that they have successfully developed the electric vehicle-exclusive iON tyre applying “circular recycled PET (polyester) fibre tyre cords.”
Circular recycling is an exclusive chemical recycling technology of SK chemicals that breaks down discarded plastics through chemical reactions into molecular units and then uses these raw materials to produce recycled plastics.
Before the commercialisation phase, there were instances where chemical recycling technology was applied to concept tyres or prototypes, but the release of a tyre product to the market using chemically recycled PET-based tyre cords through to commercialisation is a first in South Korea.
SK chemicals, Hyosung Advanced Materials, and Hankook Tire have collaboratively developed this tyre over a period of about two years. SK chemicals has reliably supplied the circular recycled PET SKYPET CR, and Hyosung Advanced Materials developed the high-strength recycled PET-based tyre cords using this as a raw material.
The developed tyre cords were applied to Hankook Tire’s premium electric vehicle tyre brand, iON. The iON tyre, with a 45% sustainable material content, has recently passed the stringent reliability verification by a European automotive manufacturer, securing final approval for use and being mounted as tyres for new vehicles.
Tyre cords are fibre reinforcement materials that help maintain the shape of the tyre and withstand the load and impact applied during driving, enhancing the tyre’s durability, driving performance, and ride comfort.
Electric vehicles, especially, require lightweight and durable tyre cord materials with high strength to support the weight exceeding 400 kg of batteries.
SK chemicals’ “SKYPET CR” has the advantage of maintaining high-quality properties and safety even after infinite recycling, compared to the physical recycling method of washing discarded plastics or cutting them into flakes for reuse, and it can achieve properties equivalent to petrochemical-based materials.
This tyre development is said to be significant in the industry in that it represents a collaborative effort focused on “sustainability” between the chemical supplier providing raw materials, the material company processing such materials into fibres, and the manufacturer producing the finished product.
In the automotive industry, efforts are being made to find sustainable materials derived from recycled or bio-based resources in conjunction with the sustainability of fuel, including electric vehicles.
Hyosung Advanced Materials, leading the market trend with the highest market share worldwide for PET tyre cords, reflects the needs of the finished vehicle industry by actively pursuing the expansion of recycled material applications, said the statement. In 2022, it became the first in the tyre cord industry to acquire an international eco-friendly certification, the “International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS,” for their recycled polyester tyre cord production process.
The iON model developed by Hankook Tire incorporates 45% sustainable materials, including bio-based, circular, and bio-circular polymers, bio-based silica along with Hyosung Advanced Materials’ tyre cords, and the model is the first tyre to bear the ISCC PLUS certification logo.
Bonhee Ku, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer at Hankook Tire, stated, “Hankook Tire is continuously conducting R&D to use 100% sustainable materials in all tyres by 2050,” and “We plan to lead the global tire industry’s sustainable management by expanding the application of eco-friendly materials centred around the electric vehicle-exclusive tyre, iON.”
Taejung Lee, Vice President, Sales Director of Tire Reinforcement Materials PU at Hyosung Advanced Materials, said, “With the recent increase in social awareness regarding sustainability, domestic and international automotive companies are increasing their application of sustainable materials, and tire companies are also experiencing an increase in demand for eco-friendly products, acquiring ISCC Plus certification. We plan to lead the eco-friendly product market through collaboration with domestic and international clients.”
Hyunsuk Kim, the Head of the Business Development Division at SK chemicals, said, “This joint development is significant because it represents the achievement of collaboration towards building a circular economy connecting material producers, intermediate goods manufacturers, and final product production, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring the sustainability of materials and products,” and “We will continue to expand the use of recycled materials and strengthen cooperation with brand owners and various industries to ensure that such cases continue to emerge across different industries.”