Sumitomo Riko link-up targets waste-derived rubber production

Chicago, Illinois – Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd has entered into a joint-development agreement with LanzaTech NZ Inc. to reuse rubber, resin and urethane waste for the production of isoprene, the companies announced 29 Nov.

Using synthetic biology, the partners aim to use LanzaTech’s “nature-based platform” to produce a new sustainable source of rubber through recycling, without losing any material integrity.

Nagoya, Japan-based Sumitomo Riko is a major rubber components producer while Illinois company LanzaTec “transforms waste carbon into materials for a range of applications.

The partnership “represents an opportunity to make a significant positive impact on the production of rubber,” said Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech.

The global isoprene market, she said, is projected to be worth around $4 billion by 2025 and is being driven by increasing demand from many sectors, including medical and automotive,

“To be able to make isoprene directly from waste rubber and other waste resources… will enable domestic, sustainable production of this key raw material around the world,” added Holmgren.

For Sumitomo Riko, president & CEO Kazushi Shimizu said the joint development with LanzaTech aims to recycle rubber waste directly into a substitute for natural rubber.”

Around 46,000 tons/year of natural and synthetic rubber are used in our products, noted Shimizu, adding that large amounts of rubber waste are also produced during manufacturing processes and extracted from used automotive parts.