Hankook in link-up to develop 'turquoise H2' carbon for tire reinforcement

Seoul – Hankook Tire & Technology and Finnish methane-decomposition specialist Rotoboost are to jointly develop tire reinforcement materials produced via methane pyrolysis.

Under an MoU signed 20 Nov, the companies plan to optimise the material properties of 'turquoise-hydrogen carbon' and validate its performance in tire compounds.

The low-CO2 materials, said the partners, could reduce greenhouse-gas intensity “by more than 50% without compromising product performance.”

According to Helsinki-based Rotoboost, it will contribute a production-ready thermo-catalytic decomposition (TCD) platform to the programme.

In May, Rotoboost "became the first TCD company to receive TUV SUD certification verifying the low-carbon footprints of both its hydrogen and carbon products."

The TCD technology, it explains, splits methane into hydrogen-rich gas and solid carbon without any process CO? formation from the methane-splitting step.

Hankook said the joint project will establish a 'verification framework' based on life cycle analysis to quantify carbon-reduction effects “from raw material sourcing to manufacturing.”

'Turquoise-hydrogen carbon' is produced during the thermocatalytic decomposition of methane in high-temperature reactors.

According to Hankook, the material has drawn interest from the automotive and tire sectors recently as a lower-CO2 alternative to fossil-based carbon black.

Hankook is already involved in similar initiatives involving the use of the material in tires, including a recently announced turquoise-hydrogen project in South Korea.

Separately, Hankook has started joint work with Solvay focused on producing circular silica from industrial waste sand and mine waste.