Evonik Industries has developed an active filler for the tire industry that significantly improves the traction of winter tires in snowy and slushy conditions, thereby increasing safety. ULTRASIL® 4000 GR is the first low surface area (LSA) silica that also offers very good dispersibility. This enables very high filler levels in the tire tread, further improving traction compared to tires using conventional silica.
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Carbon black is commonly used as a filler in rubber and plastic compounds. It is composed of over 90% carbon, with low oxygen and hydrogen content, mainly forming surface functional groups which may participate in polymer reinforcement. Raw almond shells are composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, representing less than 50% carbon, over 40% oxygen, and at times significant amounts of moisture. The relatively polar nature of almond shells, and their tendency to degrade at processing temperatures, presents a less than ideal alternative when considering fillers for hydrocarbon polymers.
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