Genencor and Goodyear have teamed up to create, if not a better tire, at least one as good. These tires will actually be better because they are made with less petroleum. Genencor has created a tire for Goodyear made out of BioIsoprene, a material created from renewable resources.
Back in 2008, Goodyear and Genencor, a division of Danisco, began collaborating on creating tires from a renewable resource rather than petroleum. Goodyear and Genencor turned to BioIsoprene as a way of fulfilling their goal to create tires from renewable resources.
“As a company, we lead the industry with forward-looking tire technologies that contribute to greater road safety and reduce the impact on the environment,” said Arthur de Bok, president of Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe.
Goodyear received the “Environmental Achievement of the Year” by the Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence for its new BioIsoprene tire. BioIsoprene is derived from “renewable raw materials” and can be used in place of petroleum based Isoprene. Isoprene and now BioIsoprene are used to create synthetic rubber for tires. According to The American Chemical Society manufacturing tires requires seven gallons of petroleum per tire. Using BioIsoprene will reduce that down if not to zero then close to zero.
The process can use sugars derived from sugar cane, corn, corn cobs, switchgrass or other biomass to produce the ingredient, a biochemical called isoprene, derived from renewable raw materials.
The BioIsoprene tire was on display at the Copenhagen International Airport during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP 15). It was also displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.
Besides tires, Genencor expects BioIsoprene to be used in other rubber based products like surgical gloves and adhesives. The potential market for BioIsoprene could reach “11 billion pounds [over 16 billion dollars] per year by 2012”. Replacing petroleum based Isoprene with BioIsoprene will allow manufacturers of rubber based products like Goodyear to switch to a sustainable material and process for its future tires.
Creating products made with sustainable renewable resources only makes sense. Whenever you think that peak oil is or may be reached, creating solutions like BioIsoprene for that inevitability will ensure a seamless transition into a petroleum-free world.
(green.blorge.com)
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