The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Visolis have announced a collaboration project to produce isoprene through the upcycling of biobased materials. Isoprene is used as a raw material in synthetic rubber, typically generated as a by-product from refining crude oil. Visolis’ technology will produce high-quality isoprene from lignocellulosic feedstocks, which are non-edible biomass and agricultural materials. The collaboration is supported by a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant awarded to Visolis earlier this year.
To advance its sustainable material use, Goodyear conducts research to investigate new alternative raw materials and innovative solutions that meet the company’s high standards of quality and safety. Goodyear unveiled a 90% sustainable-material demonstration tire earlier this year and plans to sell a tire with up to 70% sustainable materials this year, working with its supply base.
“We are excited to collaborate with Goodyear and leverage our revolutionary technology to transform waste materials into valuable monomers,” said Dr. Deepak Dugar, CEO of Visolis. “This partnership is a testament to our shared commitment to sustainable practices and the development of advanced materials that drive positive change.”
The Visolis and Goodyear collaboration will explore the reduction potential of Visolis’ process by conducting carbon footprint analysis. This is a significant step towards reducing the carbon footprint of tire manufacturing. Goodyear seeks sustainable material options that meet its high standards of quality and safety while delivering product performance. The collaboration with Visolis allows Goodyear to leverage Visolis’ technology to produce high-quality isoprene from non-edible biomass and agricultural materials, which aligns with their sustainable material strategy.
“We believe that innovation and collaboration is key to making progress along our sustainability journey and helping us achieve our goals, including net-zero value chain emissions by 2050,” said Chris Helsel, senior vice president, Global Operations and Chief Technology Officer, Goodyear. “By working with companies like Visolis, we are able to continue to learn, innovate and help build a better future.”