The world’s first Goodyear concept tires, produced using BioIsoprene™ technology, debuted this week in a demonstration version during the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
BioIsoprene™ is a breakthrough solution that makes it possible to replace petroleum-derived ingredients in synthetic rubber production with material from renewable biomass. One of the Goodyear tires will be on display until December 21 in the departures hall at Copenhagen International Airport, while the second will appear at several special events during the Climate Change Conference in the Danish capital. Tires using BioIsoprene™ are the result of a collaboration between Genencor (a division of Danisco) and Goodyear – one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers.
– The first Goodyear concept tire produced using BioIsoprene™ demonstrates the tremendous progress we have made in using bio-alternatives to petroleum-derived isoprene in the tire manufacturing process. BioIsoprene™ helps us reduce the industry’s environmental impact by using renewable raw materials in the production process and increasing Goodyear’s independence from petroleum-based products – said Jesse Roeck, Director of Materials and Raw Materials at Goodyear.
BioIsoprene™ is made from renewable raw materials and represents a significant step in the development of biochemical products used in the rubber industry. In addition to synthetic rubber for tire production, traditional isoprene is used to manufacture a wide range of products, such as surgical gloves, golf balls, and adhesives, so the potential for using this technology in other fields is very high.
The Goodyear concept tire produced using BioIsoprene™ will be on display for two weeks in the departures hall of Copenhagen International Airport. This coming weekend (December 12-13), the tire will be shown at the Bright Green exhibition at the Danisco booth, and on December 17, it will be exhibited at the Solutions of Industrial Biotechnology conference and show, organized by the Confederation of Danish Industry.
Genencor and Goodyear first announced their collaboration on research into the technology and an integrated BioIsoprene™ production system in September 2008 and continue to work together on this project. The commercial version of the product will be available in 2013.