English Abstract

Development of Fossil Resource-free Tire

Takao WADA
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi,(2012),85(6),183-186 General Review in Japanese

The protection movement of the global environment by reducing petroleum consumption and CO2 emission is the important problem for all industries including the car manufacture. In year of 2000, our company launched the concept of developing“fossil resource-free tire”aiming for the following two points to contribute to the society. One is to increase the usage of non-fossil resource origin materials and the other is to reduce tire's rolling resistance to achieve better fuel economy. To date, we have already launched two types of tires where the ratio of the non-fossil resource origin materials was much higher than before. It was able to be raised to 70 % in 2006, and as high as 97 % in 2008. In addition, we have completed and announced the technology of raising the ratio of non-fossil resource origin material to 100% in December, 2011. In this review, technical key points to achieve fossil resource-free tire is described.

Keywords: Fossil resource-free