“Nytex Bio 6200 aims to create sustainable value by reducing the rolling resistance of the tyre.”
Sweden-based petroleum products company Nynas has unveiled its first bio-based tyre and rubber process oil.
According to the company, its bio-based oil called Nytex Bio 6200 has been launched to help companies meet their sustainability goals.
A Nynas spokeswoman said: “With a growing industry demand for sustainable solutions, both on a production and finished product level, Nytex Bio 6200 aims to create sustainable value by reducing the rolling resistance of the tyre, which is an area where Nynas oils continue to deliver very strong results.”
Kamyar Alavi, senior technical advisor at Nynas, said the new oil not only matches the requirements for tyre tread formulations, but also “surpasses them” in some cases.
The tyre industry has been making strides to improve its sustainability records in recent years. Last year, tyre giant Goodyear introduced a new concept tyre which integrated living moss and used the energy generated during photosynthesis to power its electronics. The 3D-printed open-structure tyre was also made from the rubber of recycled tyres.
Michelin, another tyre giant, has outlined ambitions to ensure that all of its tyres will be manufactured using 80% sustainable materials by 2048 and 100% of all its tyres will be recycled.
However, some green groups say that the tyre industry still has to deal with the problem of microplastics from tyre tread abrasion causing pollution in waterways.
According to a report released by NGO Friends of the Earth (@friends_earth) last year, vehicle tyres and synthetic clothing are the two leading contributors to microplastic pollution from UK households.
According to the report, 68,000 tonnes of microplastics from tyre tread abrasion are generated in the UK every year, with between 7,000 and 19,000 tonnes entering surface waters.
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