Green Tyre Technology

The term ‘green tyre’ refers to a whole new breed of environmentally friendly
rubber that’s bursting onto the European market. From the beginning of
November, new EU legislation has made it mandatory to display an eco rating on
every new tyre sold. This is drawn from three categories: fuel efficiency, wet grip
and noise. Green tyre technology focuses on the fuel efficiency bit.
Without getting too technical, green tyres contain in excess of 200 ingredients
and more than 20 different types of rubber – each with their own desirable
characteristics.
These eco-friendly tyres also employ a special type of tightly bonded rubber in
the tread blocks to retain more energy while driving – this means a lower rolling
resistance and therefore less engine power sapped in rotating the tyre.
Rolling resistance of a tyre can account for as much as 30% of a vehicle’s fuel
consumption and a quarter of its CO2 emissions. Reduce this and you’ll also
reduce your vehicle’s carbon footprint by up to 300kg a year.
There’s plenty of evidence that green tyres work, too. Research from tyre
boffins at the University of Munich argues that a family travelling 20,000 miles
per year in an average hatchback or saloon can, on average, cut their fuel bill by
a useful £200.
As we mentioned though, don’t be fooled into fearing that low rolling resistance
‘green’ tyres mean less grip, though. The eco rubber can actually perform better
in some tests than more generalist all-round tyres.
Kim O’Connor, UK Managing Director of specialist rubber supplier Lanxess:
“Compared to standard premium tyres, green tyres can reduce the braking
distance at a speed of 50mph by up to 20 metres.”
The magic triangle of tire technology: Tires featuring the Silica/Silane system can
cut fuel consumption by up to 8%, thanks to their reduced rolling resistance. Their
good wet grip enables them to reduce the braking distance by many meters and
thus improve driving safety.

 The Three R’s of Eco-Friendly Tires: Raw Materials, Rolling Resistance

and Recycling
There’s great news from some of the world’s biggest tire companies –
Bridgestone Group (Bridgestone and Firestone), Michelin, Goodyear, and
Continental – about the future of eco-friendly tire technology. All now have
programs in place that are advancing the quest to end the use of fossil resources
in tire manufacturing and make tires completely from sustainable materials.
Bridgestone’s stated goal is to make tires from “100% sustainable materials” by
the year 2050.
But what exactly does the term “eco-friendly” mean when applied to tires?
Basically, “eco-friendly” means anything that is not environmentally harmful – a
pretty broad definition. The eco-friendliness of a complex manufactured product
like tires includes the environmental effects of the tire manufacturing process, the
environmental impact of the tire during its life, and the effect on the environment
of the disposal of the tire once it has reached the end of its useful life. So in order
to examine the eco-friendliness of tires, we must first look at the three Rs of eco-
friendly tire technology – Raw materials, Rolling resistance, and Recycling.

 Raw materials

Among the essential raw materials used in tire manufacturing, synthetic rubber,
carbon black, reinforcing fibers, and rubber compounding agents have been
singled out as primary targets for improved eco-friendliness. Bridgestone has
successfully created synthetic rubber using plant-derived materials rather than
the usual petroleum products. Other companies are also experimenting with
producing synthetic rubber made from biomass (plant-derived material or
agricultural waste).
Continental, Michelin, and Goodyear are also seeking substitutes for natural
rubber, so they can reduce the environmental impact and logistical expenses of
importing natural rubber from subtropical countries. Russian dandelion and
Guayule plants have been found to have many of the same qualities as natural
rubber. The plants can be grown in Europe and the United States as sustainable
raw materials and harvested more cost effectively than rubber trees. These tire
companies now have experimental farms in various parts of the world, dedicated
to the development of a commercially viable, eco-friendly manufacturing process.
Experiments by Goodyear show that soybean oil has great potential as a natural
ingredient in tires – increasing tread life by 10% and reducing the use of
petroleum-based oil by up to 8.5 million gallons per year.
Tire companies are also looking for a sustainable substitute for petroleum-based
carbon black, which is used as a tire pigment and also to conduct heat away from
the tread and belt areas of the tire. Experiments are being conducted to make
carbon black from intermediate materials with biomass ingredients, such as
vegetable fats and oils.

 Rolling Resistance

Rolling resistance is the energy a tire consumes while rolling under a load. The
lower the rolling resistance, the less energy it takes to move your car along the
road. This translates into improved gas mileage and reduced CO2 emissions into
the environment. The energy consumed by your tires’ rolling resistance can be
significant. According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, an estimated 5% to
15% of passenger car fuel consumption is used just to overcome rolling
resistance.
Low rolling resistance (LRR) tires have improved significantly over the past several
years, and the technology has advanced to the point where these eco-friendly
tires also offer good all-around performance. Virtually all major tire
manufacturers now offer LRR tires, but do your research carefully before you buy,
as there are no mandated reporting standards for tire rolling resistance. Tire
manufacturers apply their own rating systems and comparing different brands
may require some careful reading.
 Recycling

Vulcanization is the process of heating and hardening rubber compounds to make

them serviceable. Vulcanization was discovered by Charles Goodyear way back in
1839, yet it’s still the foundation for today’s tire manufacturing processes.
Worn-out tires can be used for many purposes, including tire-derived fuel, civil
engineering applications, and ground rubber applications. But unfortunately, the
transformation of the rubber brought about by vulcanization made it impossible
to recycle used tires and retrieve the raw materials to make new tires.
Until now.
Goodyear has patented a highly promising process for devulcanizing cured
rubber. Although it’s still being tested, the process initially resulted in a 40%
material recovery rate and has now been improved to a recovery rate of 80%. This
is pretty impressive when compared to other devulcanization processes, which
only deliver recovery rates of 1 - 2%. If the new process can be scaled to
commercial size, it could offer a viable solution to the recycling of more than 800
million scrap tires in North America and provide a means of increasing the
recycled content in new tires.
Serious strides have been made in laying a foundation for manufacturing
increasingly green, eco-friendly tires. Thanks to the commitment of tire
manufacturers, we can envision a future where tires will have less and less of a
negative impact on the environment.

Name - Anuj Sharma

Roll number - 2K16/EC/022
PT - 409