Sumitomo creates zero fossil fuel tyre

ERJ staff report (DS)

Tokyo - Sumitomo Rubber Industries has shown a prototype of its Enasave 100 car tyre, which uses zero fossil fuel resources. The Enasave 100 continues the work of SRI's previous models of low fossil fuel tyre, the Enasave 97 (3 percent fossil fuel resources) and the Enasave 70 which used 70 percent renewable resources.

The last 3 percent of fossil-derived materials used in the Enasave 97 were additives such as anti-oxidants and anti-ageing materials, accelerators and carbon black, used for the colour.

Sumitomo has eliminated these by use of a special catalyst using biomass from plant material. This prevents ozone attack in the rubber. Furthermore, anti-oxidants and accelerators have been synthesised from renewable materials and carbon black has been produced from other plant-based processes, using a new, highly efficient combustion process.

SRI said it hopes to launch the product commercially in 2013.

This is an external link and should open in a new window. If the window does not appear, please check your pop-up blocking software. ERJ is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Press release from Sumitomo (Japanese language)

Above press release auto-translated to English