Dow Chemical, Lehigh to work on sustainable rubber

ERJ staff report (DS)

Atlanta, Georgia -- Dow Chemical and rubber recycler Lehigh Technologies are to co-operate on research into the use of post-consumer rubber materials for use in tyres.

Dow and Lehigh will combine proprietary technologies to modify the rubber particles. The program will combine Dow's expertise in polymer chemistry with Lehigh's expertise in sustainable rubber compound development and testing.

Lehigh takes old tyres and grinds them up into small particles. However, unlike most other such companies, it is managed by former rubber industry professionals who previously held senior positions in companies such as Rohm & Haas, Cabot Corp., Asahi Kasei, Ciba, ICI Paints and un-named tyre makers.

The venture is significant because it is the first time that a well-established and highly-regarded supplier to the tyre industry has partnered with a tyre recycler with the specific intent to create materials, derived from post-consumer scrap, which can be used in new tyres.

“Our primary customer base, the world's leading tyre companies, has been requesting advanced technologies to enable increased sustainable content in tyres. The Dow-Lehigh research program is part of a broader technology program at Lehigh, aimed at providing sustainable solutions without compromise,” said Dr. Alan Barton, chief executive officer of Lehigh Technologies. “Our objective is to have one billion tyres on the road manufactured with our alternative material - our collaboration with Dow is a critical step in realising this significant milestone.”

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Press release from LeHigh