Grant: Alliance Grants

Manufacturers of tires have ambitious sustainability targets for 2030 and 2050. The primary route to meeting these targets is incorporation of bio-based components. However, commercially available bio-based components for tires are not cost effective or chemically tailored, leaving these materials uncompetitive from both a performance and business aspect. The goal of this collaborative research project is to enable the use of Nuvolve® polysaccharides, a designed enzymatic bio-based material, in rubber applications. The material will be modified such that it blends better with rubber and other tire ingredients to enhance rubber processing and prolong the life of rubber by decreasing wear. The incorporation of surface modified Nuvolve® polysaccharides are expected to render significant improvement on the renewable material content in tires as well as enhance the mechanical performance of rubbers. Project partners Cabot and International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) are the world's largest producers of carbon black for tires, and Nuvolve® polysaccharides, respectively, and along with their partners and customers, will ensure successful implementation of the technology developed here.