Continental is taking a look at trash heaps and recycling bins to seek out sustainable supplies for future tires.
The firm hopes to make all of its tires totally from sustainable supplies by 2050 on the newest, up from 15% to twenty% renewable or recycled content material at this time. In a press launch, Continental defined the way it’s taking a look at agricultural waste like rice husks and dandelions, in addition to recycled plastic bottles, to assist obtain that objective.
A passenger automobile tire will be composed of as much as 100 totally different supplies, based on Continental, and one of the essential is pure rubber, which the corporate stated accounts for 10% to 40% of the burden of a contemporary tire.
Tire producers are searching for different sources of pure rubber that may be extra sustainably grown on an industrial scale, as Bridgestone has executed by utilizing a desert shrub called guayule in some racing tires. Continental goals to make use of specifically cultivated dandelions as a supply of pure rubber.
Continental can also be developing silica tire fillers made from the ash of rice husks, waste materials that may’t be used for meals or animal feed, the corporate famous. The strategy of turning them into silica can also be extra vitality environment friendly than typical manufacturing processes, Continental claims.
Other tire fillers are presently made from crude oil, however Continental believes plant-based rapeseed oils and resins made from the leftovers of paper and wooden processing might function substitutes. As with rice husks, these are waste supplies that haven’t any different sensible use, the corporate stated.
Carbon black is one other main ingredient, and on this case Continental needs to recycle previous tires to get well the fabric. It not too long ago signed an settlement with Pyrum Innovations to make use of the latter’s pyrolysis course of, which entails utilizing excessive warmth to interrupt down previous tires to extract usable materials. Continental can also be utilizing “mechanical processing” to separate out different supplies, together with rubber, metal, and textile, from previous tires.
Another recycled materials Continental needs to utilize is PET plastic from drink bottles, which will be made into polyester yarn for tire casings. Between 9 and 15 bottles can go into every tire, relying on tire measurement, based on Continental.
Other tire producers are additionally seeking to make their merchandise extra environmentally pleasant. Goodyear in January confirmed a prototype tire containing 90% sustainable materials, and plans to start out making tires with 70% sustainable supplies this yr. Michelin and Hyundai have additionally partnered on sustainable supplies for future EV tires.
This article was initially printed by Motor Authority, an editorial associate of ClassicCars.com.
