American Process, India’s Birla Carbon to Explore Nanocellulose-Carbon Fiber Synergies for Green Tires

In Mumbai, Aditya Birla Group subsidiary Birla Carbon has signed a joint development agreement with American Process to explore the synergistic use of nanocellulose and carbon black to reduce rolling resistance in tires.

Carbon black makes up about a quarter of tires by weight and 70% of global carbon black production is earmarked for tire production. Nanocellulose, a renewable material with strength comparable to carbon fiber, has “unique synergistic effects” with filler materials like carbon black in improving the performance of composites.

“Low rolling resistance has been and has become an ever increasing area of investment and technological development for tire manufacturers in all aspects of tire technology including design, construction and materials,” Charles Herd, PhD, director of Birla Carbon’s Rubber Black Technology, tells Tyre Process. “The synergies between carbon black and nanocellulose offer an exciting opportunity to meet the performance and environmental demands placed on us as a responsible manufacturing entity in a global society.”