Nokian Tyres has entered a collaboration with UPM, a biomaterials production expert, to enhance sustainability in the tire industry. They are introducing a concept tire made with UPM’s BioMotion RFF, a new renewable material that can replace a large portion of the carbon black traditionally used in tire production.
UPM says BioMotion RFF is a fully renewable lignin-based alternative to traditional carbon black, designed to reduce fossil material usage and lower carbon emissions in tire manufacturing. Nokian Tyres, having utilized this material, holds a patent for its application in tires and is now licensing this patent to UPM.
This arrangement will enable UPM to provide the raw material to the tire industry, with production set to commence at UPM’s biorefinery in Leuna, Germany.
Currently, carbon black is used as a reinforcing filler in tires, enhancing properties like strength and resilience. Initial lab tests, according to UPM, indicate that BioMotion RFF has superior features to traditional carbon black. Replacing a significant part of the carbon black with this new renewable filler material offers great potential for more sustainable tires, as fillers constitute about 30% of a tire’s raw materials.
UPM will initially supply BioMotion RFF to Nokian Tyres for prototyping, which includes testing to evaluate the new material’s performance, safety and environmental impact, compared to traditional carbon black.
Michael Duetsch, vice president biochemicals at UPM, said, “Our partnership with Nokian Tyres marks the exciting entry of our renewable functional fillers into the global tire markets. Demonstrating their application value helps us lay the groundwork for scaling our biorefinery business and contributing significantly to the sustainable transformation of the mobility sector and beyond.”
The partnership has also led to the development of Nokian Tyres’ Green Step Ligna, the first concept tire made with UPM BioMotion RFF. This material, produced from wood-based lignin, is designed to replace all fossil fuel carbon black in the tire’s sidewalls.
Teemu Soini, VP of innovations and development at Nokian Tyres, added, “With the concept tire, we demonstrate the usability of the groundbreaking new raw material in tires. Our concept tire marks a leap toward the use of renewable materials not only for us but the whole tire industry. By prototyping this renewable material in our tires, we aim to set new standards for environmental responsibility.”
The Green Step Ligna is being showcased at the German Rubber Conference DKT 2024 in Nürnberg, Germany, July 1–4 at UPM’s booth.
