The Mitsubishi Chemical Group announced that it has launched studies to perform chemical recycling of end-of-life tires (“ELTs”) by utilizing the coke ovens at its Kagawa Plant (Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture). The MCG Group aims to begin marketing sustainable carbon black made from ELTs by March 2026.
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ASTM International’s recovered carbon black (rCB) committee (D36) is developing a proposed standard that will guide users of rCB on how long the material can be stored and the effect that prolonged storage might have on rCB.
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UPM Biochemicals and Nokian Tyres, a leading developer and manufacturer of premium tires, are set for an industry first with its concept tire partly based on UPM BioMotion™ Renewable Functional Fillers (RFF). The partnership will launch UPM’s CO₂-negative Renewable Functional Fillers into a new market segment and highlights the possibilities to use a lighter weight, 100% renewable alternative to traditional CO₂-intensive fillers.
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MIT engineers have created a “supercapacitor” made of ancient, abundant materials, that can store large amounts of energy. Made of just cement, water, and carbon black, the device could form the basis for inexpensive systems that store intermittently renewable energy, such as solar or wind energy.
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The board of directors of CSRC group approved a plan to partner with Eco Infinic Co., Ltd., a Thailand subsidiary of SHEICO group. The partnership aims to invest in the recovered carbon black (rCB) business at the original site of Continental Carbon Company (CCC) Phenix plant, jointly developing the North American market for recovered carbon black. This new plant is scheduled to commence production in 2026, and expected to become one of the largest recovered carbon black plants in North America.
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Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have increased the fatigue threshold of particle-reinforced rubber, developing a new, multiscale approach that allows the material to bear high loads and resist crack growth over repeated use. This approach could not only increase the longevity of rubber products such as tires but also reduce the amount of pollution from rubber particles shed during use.
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Cabot Corporation announced the global launch of its new PROPEL® E8 engineered reinforcing carbon black designed to provide superior tread durability at low rolling resistance for high-performance tire tread applications. This new product addresses the unique challenges posed by the heavier weight and higher torque of electric vehicles (EVs) compared to traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The PROPEL E8 grade complements Cabot’s existing solutions within the PROPEL E series, which are also suitable for use in high-performance tires.
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Pyrolysis has been used as a means of recycling end-of-life tires or other post-industrial and/or consumer rubber products for several years. This process produces several valuable secondary raw materials that support the circular economy. One such material, sustainable carbonaceous material (SCM), can be used as a sustainable alternative to carbon black in many applications where traditional virgin carbon black is used. Although traditionally seen as suitable only for low value applications, recent advances allow the use of SCM in a wider range of higher value products. These advances are helping compounders and OEMs meet their sustainability targets by allowing the use of a higher percentage of sustainable materials in their formulations with minimal adjustments or loss in performance.
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A constantly developing automotive industry and the growing number of vehicles generate massive tire demand. The worldwide demand is expected to reach more than 3 billion units by 2025, with an indicated rise of 4% and an estimated sales forecast of $258 billion. Further management and recycling of end-of-life tires (ELTs) is still a critical challenge globally which needs to be overcome, since it produces severe land, water and air pollution. The development of low cost, environmentally benign and industrial scale tire recycling methods is gaining more attention, garnering much ongoing research to address the problem. However, due to the complex and heterogeneous three-dimensional structure of the tire, the development of efficient, industrial scale devulcanization technologies that can electively recover the main components of the tire, such as carbon black and rubber, is rare.
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The concept of an electric vehicle developed nearly 200 years ago, with European and U.S. inventors at the forefront. However, as the electric vehicle was sought after, so too was the gasoline powered vehicle, which had an improved internal combustion engine. Electric vehicles were favored, though, as they were rendered quiet and did not emit odorous gases like the other vehicle types. The ease of driving made it very popular among urban residents. Such advantages propelled vehicle sales in the early 1900s; although, despite such early popularity, electric vehicles just about faded by 1935, as gas became cheap and ever more abundant. Decades ensued, and it was not until global environmental concerns and the rise in oil prices that more research and development was dedicated to the electric vehicle.
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