Kuraray gives tires better grip on icy roads and improves their sustainability and durability
“Tires with good grip are particularly important in fall and winter, because they make driving safer and ensure vehicles can stop on slippery and icy roads,” says Ralph Böhm, Senior Manager Sales Elastomer at Kuraray. “We all know how important road safety is, especially when we are driving with our family and friends. Kuraray’s materials help ensure people reach their destinations safely every day.” Liquid Farnesene Rubber from Kuraray is a good example. It optimizes the braking distance and grip of winter tires and make sure they keep their elasticity, which means they last longer. In addition, this liquid rubber is an environment-friendly product made from sugar cane.
Sugar instead of oil: for better sustainability and improved fuel efficiency
Petroleum-based products still play an important role in the manufacture of tires. For example, they make sure that the tread stays elastic, which ensures good grip. Liquid Farnesene Rubber is a sustainable alternative to these conventional materials, and that helps protect the environment. “Liquid Farnesene Rubber is based on beta-farnesene, a renewable monomer produced from sugar cane,” explains Ralph Böhm. “It is produced with the aid of micro-organisms. Special yeast cultures convert the sugar cane into a base material, which is synthesized using a chemical process to produce Liquid Farnesene Rubber. That makes it particularly sustainable and environmentally friendly.”
Our bio-based Liquid Farnesene Rubber gives tires better grip on icy and snowy roads. Rubber compounds that include Liquid Farnesene Rubber remain elastic even at low temperatures and ensure vehicles stop safety even in wintry conditions.
Ralph Böhm, Senior Manager Sales Elastomer at Kuraray
Improved grip – even on snow and ice
Liquid Farnesene Rubber is not just good for nature, it is also good for road safety. Tire compounds containing this bio-based liquid rubber remain elastic even at very low temperatures, ensuring very good grip even in wintry conditions. “Liquid Farnesene Rubber can significantly improve rubber compounds for tires,” explains Robin Conrad, Marketing & CRM at Kuraray. “As well as improving the grip of winter tires, it reduces their rolling resistance and the heat development of the tires. And that reduces fuel consumption considerably.”
High elasticity throughout the entire life of the tire
Liquid Farnesene Rubber increases the durability of tires. Vulcanization is a key step in the manufacture of tires. It involves exposing raw tires to high temperatures in heated presses. This crosslinks and solidifies the molecules in the individual elastomer compounds that make up the tires. “Because of its special chemical structure, Liquid Farnesene Rubber reacts far better with solid rubber during vulcanization,” says Ralph Böhm. Conventional plasticizers migrate to the surface after a while. As a result, the tires become hard and porous and have to be replaced. Liquid Farnesene Rubber prevents this, so the tires remain elastic and retain their properties throughout their useful life.
Tires that are good for the environment
“Liquid Farnesene Rubber facilitates the development of new tires that make driving safer, especially in winter,” says Robin Conrad. “In addition, our bio-based liquid rubber tires reduce fuel consumption, last longer, and are a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based tire components. Liquid Farnesene Rubber therefore reduces environmental pressure in many ways.”