Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) reports having developed a new type of recovered carbon black with improved dispersion properties. It developed this new type of carbon black to meet demand from the tyre and rubber industry and has produced the material at its plant in Åsensbruk, Sweden ”for some time” now.
In addition to featuring the Elect marking on the sidewall, the P Zero E is the first Pirelli tyre to wear a new logo that identifies it as a product containing at least 50 per cent sustainable materials. This new marking depicts two arrows in a circle and will also be present on future tyre models made from half or more bio-based and/or recycled materials.
Continental has begun volume production of its “most sustainable series tyre to date” at its plant in Lousado, Portugal. The Continental UltraContact NXT contains up to 65 per cent renewable, recycled and mass balance certified materials, and at the same time achieves an EU tyre label AAA rating with the best possible values for wet grip, rolling resistance and exterior noise.
On 13 July, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) bestowed the AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Award 2023 in the ‘Chassis, Car Body & Exterior’ category upon Michelin for its road-approved car tyres containing 45 per cent sustainable materials. A jury composed of seasoned figures from the industry, the world of science and consulting, as well as specialist media selected Michelin for the award.
Exclusive tyre partner Pirelli has made the most of its presence at Goodwood Festival of Speed, presenting three additions to the P Zero family. In addition to the recently unveiled P Zero Trofeo RS and the P Zero R, a supercar tyre adapted for everyday use, Pirelli showed the P Zero E, a UHP tyre that launches with an EU label triple A rating in every size.
The “most sustainable” Continental tyre to date will arrive next month. With up to 65 per cent renewable, recycled and mass balance certified materials, the Continental UltraContact NXT “combines a high share of sustainable materials with maximum safety and performance.”
Bridgestone Corporation recently began producing oil and recovered carbon black through the pyrolysis of end-of-life tyres at a test facility in Japan. The tyre maker is operating this unit within the Bridgestone Innovation Park in Kodaira City, Tokyo as part of a joint project with Eneos Corporation.
To aid its development of eco-friendly tyres, Hankook Tire & Technology has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with petrochemical company Kumho Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (KKPC). Amongst other things, the MoU ensures Hankook Tire is first in line to receive KKPC’s Eco Solution-polymerised Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (Eco-SSBR) at “a fair price” once commercial its production commences in 2026.
A couple of weeks after Apollo Tyres unveiled car tyres containing 75% sustainable materials, JK Tyre & Industries has seen Apollo’s 75 and raised it 5. The company has produced a passenger car radial with 80% recycled and renewable materials – and says it will offer such a range “in due course.”
Nexen Tire has unveiled a sustainable concept tyre containing 52% renewable & recycled raw materials. This Nexen EcoTech tyre, which according to its sidewall is “for the greenish future,” consists of 44% renewable materials, including natural rubber, bio-based synthetic rubber, rice husk silica and bio-based rubber chemicals. A further 8% is recycled content, including cord made from recycled PET bottles and bead wire sourced from scrap metal.
Following on from its development of agricultural tyres with 75% sustainable materials, Apollo Tyres has now achieved the same goal with passenger vehicle tyres. These tyres – an Apollo Amperion high-performance tyre for electric vehicles and an Apollo Aspire 4G+ ultra-high performance car tyre – are not commercially available at present.
Apollo Tyres aims for at least 40 per cent of the raw materials it uses by 2030 to be sustainable, and to show what it can already achieve the tyre maker has produced an agricultural tyre containing 75 per cent sustainable materials. Although just a concept, Apollo is evaluating the product’s potential commercialisation.
In addition to unveiling a demonstration tyre containing 90% sustainable materials, Goodyear announces it will begin selling tyres with up to 70% sustainable-material content during the course of this year. No details are available at present, but Goodyear invites “consumers interested in purchasing this tyre” to register for updates at a US market-focused site.
When it commences operations in 2024, the end-of-life tyre (ELT) processing facility that Bolder Industries, Inc. and three partners are setting up in the Port of Antwerp will be capable of processing approximately 3 million ELTs a year. Bolder says this will “dramatically increase” production volumes for BolderBlack and BolderOil and satisfy increasing demand for these sustainable, circular raw materials in Europe and beyond.
In addition to producing tyres and automotive components, Continental has busied itself of late making upholstery fabrics from coffee grounds. This makes the substance remaining after Europeans brew more than 33 billion cups of coffee each year a potentially valuable raw material.
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