Recent trends in industrial and academic developments of green tyre technology

Abstract

Growing natural calamities as a consequence of global warming are one of the most pondering subjects today. The exponential growth of environmental pollution due to unscientific human exploitation of natural resources is considered the prime reason for the harsh responses of nature. Researchers from various fields of industry and academia are working hard to develop and implement products/technologies that are environmentally friendly or less harmful to the ecosystem. Material researchers, specifically those working in the automobile sector are also not behind in search of green products from eco-friendly raw materials and production methods. The automobile industry is collectively responsible for around 40% of global pollution in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Out of which around 20–30% is originating from tyre production and its end-use. In this view, tyre production from eco-friendly raw materials and technologies that have minimum hazardousness to the environment is a hot research topic today. A few products in the market with “green” tags and many are in the pipeline for the recent future. This review summarises a detailed discussion of the emerging green technologies for tyre production and depicted comprehensive data from the available literature. The paper has been drafted from a well-balanced academic and industrial point of view since the researchers from both sectors are working in harmony for a better future for green tyre technology.

The Road to Sustainable Tire Materials: Current State-of-the-Art and Future Prospectives

“…Among the components, synthetic polymers, rubber process oils, and carbon blacks are nonrenewable and petroleum resourced. Out of the automobile industry’s share of 40% global pollution, tire contributes to a hefty 20–30%. , Tire manufacturing also contributes to carbon dioxide emissions and the depletion of petrochemical resources . Several studies also show an ubiquitous presence of the much-discussed tire and road wear particles (TRWP) in the air, water, and soil. − TRWP quantification studies show that 1 000 000 ton/yr of TRWP has been reported in the U.S. alone. , Further, several degradation studies of tire particles show that tire leachate from the additives can be present in the environment after prolonged exposure. − Moreover, TRWP is shown to have environmental implications like human health risk on the liver and kidneys and respiratory irritation, and acute toxicity on aquatic life such as the coho-salmon species. − Thus, there is a primal need for sustainable formulation by incorporating more environmentally friendly materials.…”

Tuning the low rolling resistance, wet grip, and heat build‐up properties of tyre tread formulations using carbon black/thermally exfoliated graphite hybrid fillers

“…Production and consumption of tyres have a major role in environmental pollution and it has a direct impact on global warming. Around 82% of such hazards arise from tyre usage and processing, which eventually contributes to around 20% of total environmental hazardousness 2 . Recycling, reusing, and utilization of less hazardous/renewable resource‐based raw materials are the possible methods suggested by the experts to overcome these issues 3 .…”

“…Around 82% of such hazards arise from tyre usage and processing, which eventually contributes to around 20% of total environmental hazardousness. 2 Recycling, reusing, and utilization of less hazardous/ renewable resource-based raw materials are the possible methods suggested by the experts to overcome these issues. 3 However, there is a limit to recycling and reusing of tyre products and ultimately all will end up as waste materials.…”

“…Replacement of traditional carbon based fillers with sustainable and eco-friendly materials like silica, clays, graphite and cellulose derivatives, polymer bio composites, other plant based additives, volatile organic compound negated cross linking, and so forth are leading to the concept of "green tyre," which can give improved wet grip, wear resistance and low rolling resistance. 2 These methods not only can reduce the usage of hazardous materials, so as the expulsion to the environment, it can considerably reduce the overall fuel consumption as well. 14 However, the complete replacement of hazardous raw materials is nearly impossible in a performance and economic perspective.…”

“…Effective utilization of the renewable resources along with sustainable usage of materials and methodology are found to be popular in this view. Replacement of traditional carbon based fillers with sustainable and eco‐friendly materials like silica, clays, graphite and cellulose derivatives, polymer bio composites, other plant based additives, volatile organic compound negated cross linking, and so forth are leading to the concept of “green tyre,” which can give improved wet grip, wear resistance and low rolling resistance 2 . These methods not only can reduce the usage of hazardous materials, so as the expulsion to the environment, it can considerably reduce the overall fuel consumption as well 14 .…”