The two companies are hoping to change current tyre production methods to create a more sustainable process going forward
Bridgestone Corporation and Japanese petroleum company Eneos Corporation have announced the launch of a joint research and development project aiming to produce raw tyre materials from used tyres.
Currently, used tyres are utilised as fuel for thermal recovery in Japan, however this method has CO2 as a byproduct.
The new joint project will work to develop chemical recycling technologies for used tyres by merging the rubber and polymer material design technologies Bridgestone has cultivated previously with the crude oil refining technologies designed by Eneos.
The companies aim to achieve high-yield production of chemical products, such as butadiene, a raw material used in synthetic rubber.
This will entail breaking down used tyres through pyrolysis to produce petrochemical feedstocks (such as naphtha) which in turn will be utilised to manufacture petrochemical products.
The goal is to achieve large-scale demonstrations of this process by 2030.
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“I am excited to be able to embark on this co-creation project with Eneos. This project represents a significant step forward in our quest to increase resource circulation and promote carbon neutrality in the tyre and rubber industry,” Bridgestone CEO Shuichi Ishibashi says.
Eneos president Katsuyuki Ota says: “We are confident that the joint research and development project with Bridgestone will further promote the use of renewable resources.”