Rubber Goes Green
As drivers know, the noisier a tire, the more fuel it wastes just to overcome rolling resistance. Tires account for one fifth of the fuel supplied to the car.
Saving fuel without sacrificing driving comfort
Researchers at Evonik Industries have developed a new silane, an additive for rubber
compounds that reduces rolling resistance by up to 40 percent compared to conventional tires. This
reduces fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, without compromising driving
comfort and mileage. And the smooth-running tire doesn't skid, even on wet roads.
Drivers get fuel savings of up to 8 percent, which, at current gas prices, is a significant amount. For a car doing about 30,000 kilometers a year, the cost of a set of the fuel-saving tires is recovered within one year—to say nothing of the benefit to the environment.
Silanes from Evonik
Silanes are essential components in tire production. Tire compounds normally contain about 30
percent of a reinforcing filler that imparts the desired properties—grip, abrasion resistance, and
tear resistance—to the rubber compounds. These properties are adjusted as required by the use of
carbon blacks and silica, an additional component.
Evonik silanes such as Si 363® and Si 69® are used in tire manufacture to bind rubber and
silica. We’re the only producer in the world to supply the tire industry with all three of the most
important reinforcing components from a single source: We’re a global market leader in performance
silica and organosilanes, and the second-largest producer of carbon blacks.
A double advantage for the environment
The company’s chemists, physicists, and engineers are working on optimizing carbon black and silica particles for continual improvements to smooth-running tires. The environmental benefits of the novel tires are twofold: As compared with the silanes previously used, emissions of volatile organic compounds during the tire production process are reduced by as much as 80 percent. Added to this is a reduction in the greenhouse effect, thanks to lower carbon dioxide emissions during driving.
