A new dawn

Abstract

Tyre industry specialists are now at the dawn of a scientific revolution in terms of what is understood about rubber compounding. This situation has developed against a background of research concerning climate change and the strengthening of the tyre industry raw material regulations regarding health and safety , which are currently centred on the REACH regulations. The initial result has been a need to remove oils containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from compound formulations. At the same time, regulatory bodies are introducing legislation to reduce tyre rolling resistance and tyre-to-road noise generation, improve wet friction, and introduce both tyre pressure monitoring systems and tyre labelling. Additionally, there is the need to identify and reduce the carbon footprint of tyre manufacture. All these factors have tended to focus attention on the need to develop technology for the use of replenishable materials. Natural rubber, modified or unmodified, will remain a strategic raw material. Work on the rubber tree genome is progressing. Other latex-producing plants have also been investigated. The potential for developments to natural rubber such as ENR to be applied as a polymer for various tyre components increases with further understanding of polymer-to-filler reactions and cure systems. The need for rubber scientists and biotechnologists to collaborate is discussed. Pressure for the use of replenishable materials in tyre manufacture is outlined.