Reflecting on current and future trends in the tyre industry, Andre Lanning, Global Business Director, Synthetic Rubber, Trinseo Europe GmbH, sees the need for much closer collaborations - not only between tyre companies and suppliers but among suppliers themselves. “If we really want to address the big issues in the industry, reduce rolling resistance, improve fuel efficiency, and get better at recycling and re-using materials and chemicals, we need to have a paradigm shift in how we approach innovation.”

According to Dr. Sandra Hofmann, Director, Technology & Innovation, Synthetic Rubber, Trinseo Deutschland GmbH, speed (response time to market) and sustainability are the main trends that will dominate the global tyre industry compared to other industries.

 “The tyre industry, traditionally, has been conservative on knowledge-sharing and collaborating on innovation. Going forward, collaborations are key to moving forward as the complexity in the segment we are focusing on is very high. Every stakeholder in the tyre industry is driving hard for innovations, and, on the co-suppliers’ side, we are keen on collaborations. And, of course, working together with customers is always part of the development,” said Dr. Hofmann.

In recent times, Trinseo has been focusing on close relationships with other stakeholders for developing new products. Trinseo fosters deep engagement with partners through its centralised synthetic rubber site located in Schkopau, Germany, where technology & innovation, mini-plant, pilot plant, and expanded production assets are located. To reduce product development time from lab sample to commercialisation, Trinseo started a state-of-the-art S-SBR pilot plant in Schkopau, for its synthetic rubber business, which makes it more agile and flexible than ever before in its ability to turn around S-SBR product testing. The company says the S-SBR pilot plant allows for more efficient use of Trinseo’s production facilities and helps speed up innovation in the performance tyres market. As part of its efforts, the company introduces the early development process to its customers. “We have invested substantially in R&D. In 2018, we started the pilot plant where we can make several hundred kilograms of materials, and that is enough for our development partners and customers to build a tyre already in the product development process,” said Dr. Hofmann.

Dr. Hofmann added, “The capabilities we are bringing to the table, in combination with our openness and willingness for collaborations, are major enablers towards shortening of the product development process.”

Major tyre companies are betting high on recycled and bio-mass materials, aiming to eliminate materials derived from fossil fuels, to make tyres in the future. However, the ‘industrialisation’ of recycled and bio-mass materials to obtain synthetic rubber will be a more significant threshold. “It is nice to have targets, but the main challenge is to implement these targets through technology. Making synthetic rubber from recycled and bio-mass materials will be a gradual process, and we see it as an opportunity and want to be a front runner for sustainability”, said Lanning.

Sustainability

Trinseo, according to the executive, is already contributing to tyre companies’ sustainability efforts by supplying solutions that reduce rolling resistance, CO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency. 

“Sustainability has many dimensions. It could be recycled and bio-based materials. As a company, we are very much active in the recycling of polystyrene back into styrene monomer which can be introduced as recycled feedstock for packaging applications. As for butadiene, for a long time, it has been made of biomass like sugar and others. As a company, we are exploring sources of sustainable feedstocks, not only looking at how we can contribute to our customers’ sustainability efforts, but to the raw materials that go into our own products,” explained Dr Hofmann.

When asked about having a common platform for all stakeholders to develop products, Lanning, said “if tyre manufacturers are serious about sustainability, there needs to be closer and more open collaboration around innovation between tyre and rubber producers. And that is not the case today. Working together we can tackle the challenges, whereas pursuing innovation completely separately will make it harder to reach the sustainability targets”.

Trinseo has an excellent technical community, called Technical Service & Development Group, that works with its customers around the world. This way, the company educates them on its products and their usages. “Irrespective of where we operate, Trinseo focuses on high-end technologies in functionalised S-SBR,” said Lanning. Dr Hofmann added “We are investing heavily in local markets to provide our products and services more efficiently and improve communications between our customers and the company”.

Synthetic rubber is now being used for passenger car tyres, owing to properties that make it suitable for high-end tyres. Trinseo is expanding its portfolio by also focusing on truck and bus tyres (the company’s low Tg polymers like SPRINTAN SLR 3402 are already used in truck and bus tyres as a partial replacement for natural rubber; they improve energy efficiency and performance, predominantly balancing rolling resistance and wear).

“We need to increase the use of synthetic rubber in truck and bus tyres to further impact global sustainability goals. To achieve these goals, we are looking for customers that plan to have SR in tyres for heavy commercial vehicles as well, but we are also using this opportunity to educate the end customers about the advantage of using functionalised S-SBR” said Lanning.

Another challenge for material suppliers is to keep its product development strategies aligned with the fast-changing trends in the automotive industry. Fundamental requirements of low rolling resistance in tyres are not changing in any types of new mobility, believes the company executive. “We also see a shift of focus on wear improvement,” added Dr Hofmann.

Optimising all three aspects of the magic triangle has always been a challenge. The latest functionalised SPRINTAN™ S-SBR grades are proven to reduce lab indicators for rolling resistance by 30 percent compared to nonfunctionalised synthetic rubber grades. This allows for at least three to five percent less fuel consumption in passenger cars. Trinseo’s recently launched SPRINTAN 918S displaying multi-functionalisation technology to reduce rolling resistance and improve wet grip for ultra-high-performance tyres used on premium cars and SUVs.

Orion Engineered Carbons, a specialty chemical company, started commercial sales in Italy from the first new reactor for carbon black production to be commissioned in the European Union in over 40 years. 

The new 25-kiloton line at the facility in Ravenna, in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, produces both specialty and technical rubber carbon blacks, primarily for the European market, the company said in a release. 

Corning Painter, CEO, Orion, said, “The new line offers customers seeking long-term solutions a unique strategic opportunity to align with a dependable plant that has been operating for more than 60 years in Europe.” 

Additional investments at the plant include a new co-generation facility to convert waste heat into electricity, generating up to 120 MWh of electricity per year. Seventy percent of the electricity is supplied to the national grid, serving about 30,000 households. Orion is a net exporter of electricity in Europe and worldwide. (TT)  

Shin-Etsu Chemical, a leading chemical company, plans to invest $702 million in its silicone portfolio, a key component of its functional materials business segment.

This latest investment follows a plan announced in February 2022, worth $562 million, to meet the surging demand for advanced functional silicone products. However, due to the continuous growth in need, especially for eco-friendly options that align with the global goal of carbon neutrality, the company has decided to expand the applications of its silicone products. The company will also focus on enhancing the advanced functionality of its product lineup and further developing environmentally friendly silicones.

In alignment with its newly announced silicones investment plan, Shin-Etsu Chemical will make investments not only in its central production hub in Japan, the Gunma Complex in Gunma Prefecture, but also in its Naoetsu Plant in Niigata Prefecture, Takefu Plant in Fukui Prefecture, and the Group company plant in Thailand, where silicone monomer and polymer production is conducted. The company will also invest further in existing silicone plants across other Asian countries, the United States, and Hungary. Simultaneously, Shin-Etsu Chemical will accelerate efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by embracing greener manufacturing processes.

Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.

Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.

Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.

Each year, over 1.5 billion tyres are sold worldwide, representing more than 26 million metric tonnes, and just as many tyres each year also fall into the category of end-of-life tyres providing a large and partially untapped potential for resource and material recovery. Today, most traditional ELT treatment processes are not circular and do not result in any production of raw materials that are suitable to be reused in the tyre manufacturing industry. Without such ELT solutions in the EU, more than half of the EU end-of-life tyres and secondhand tyres are landfilled or are exported as tyre derived fuels for use into furnaces as an industrial fuel. The PHS project intends to reverse these trends and create a vibrant addition to advancements being made in the tyre recycling sector, the release said.

The PHS project is co-owned by Karabas European Hellenic Recycling. Currently, KEHR collects and recycles all types of scrap vehicle tyres and recycles them through traditional methods by shredding tyres into rubber granules, rubber powder & shock-absorbent surfacing slabs.

PHS has partnered with Klean Industries to build a modern tyre recycling facility that encompasses a state-of-the-art scrap tyre pyrolysis plant to recycle 20,000 TPA of waste tyres into valuable chemical products.

PHS proposes to construct and operate the Waste Tyre Pyrolysis Plant in Moulkia, a seaside town near Skala, Greece. It is located at an existing industrial site that is owned by KEHR, the release added. (TT)

ResiCare, an adhesive manufacturing subsidiary of Michelin, has found commercial use in Allin's plywood manufacturing unit, R'PLY. Allin and Michelin have been in collaboration since 2018.

The company claims that R'Ply is the first responsible plywood made using certified Poplar wood and integrating a ResiCare resin that is kinder to human health as well as the environment. The R’Ply is a high-performance plywood which can be used for multiple applications, according to the company. The plywood can be used for boat-building or in the building trade and will be available at certain DIY stores soon.

Michelin had set up a mobile ResiCare production unit at its Olsztyn site in May 2021. The company hopes to replace more than 80 percent of the usual adhesive used in its tyre textile reinforcement with the new ResiCare adhesive, which is free from any substances of very high concern for health (SVHC), by 2025. The company further plans to set up mobile production units similar to the one in Europe and Asia in the coming months. (TT)