Pirelli and Versalis to research guayule

ERJ staff report (TB)

San Donato Milanese, Italy – Italian synthetic polymer producer Versalis and Pirelli Tyre S.p.A. have agreed to jointly research the use of guayule-based natural rubber (NR) in tire production, reports Tire Business, a US-based sister publication of European Rubber Journal.

The joint research project will run over three years, the companies said, and calls for Versalis – the chemicals business unit of the petrochemical firm Eni S.p.A. – to provide exclusively an "innovative range" of guayule-based natural rubber materials and for Pirelli to carry out trial tests to validate the performance of the materials for tire production.

The agreement with Pirelli follows the formation last year of a partnership between Versalis and Yulex Corp., USA for guayule production and the construction of an industrial complex to be based in southern Europe.

As soon as industrial quantities of guayule from the European facility become available, Versalis will supply Pirelli with guayule-based NR to complement the range of synthetic rubbers that Versalis already supplies Pirelli for making conventional tires.

Guayule (Parthenium argentatum) is a renewable, non-food crop that requires little water usage, no pesticides, and is an alternative source of NR thanks to its latex allergy-friendly properties, Versalis said.

The agreement fits with Versalis' strategy of pursuing partnerships with key leaders in the field of bio-based chemical products, the polymer firm said, as well as its plan to develop innovative technologies in the elastomers business.

From Pirelli's point of view, the agreement extends the tire maker's search for new materials from renewable sources — especially from biomasses. Pirelli already produces tires with raw materials derived from rice husk — the inedible part of the grain usually used as fuel — and has a goal of reducing its reliance on fossil resources.

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