Bridgestone and Tokai Carbon will improve the properties of recovered technical carbon

Tokai Carbon, Bridgestone, Kyushu University, and Okayama University have launched a joint project to develop technologies for the secondary processing of recovered carbon black (rCB) extracted from polymer products, such as end-of-life tires. The project aims to produce eco-friendly carbon black (eCB) with properties equivalent to those of primary carbon black (vCB) made from oil.

According to Bridgestone, industry players are currently engaged in the pyrolysis of polymer products, including end-of-life tires, to recover and reuse carbon black. However, the application of rCB in the production of new tires is still associated with certain difficulties. For instance, rCB has lower properties in terms of reinforcing rubber compounds compared to vCB, mainly due to numerous impurities, and its production process is also associated with CO2 emissions.

“Considering the expected growth of the automotive and transportation industries, demand for tires is expected to increase, and the joint project aims to improve resource circulation technologies and carbon black recovery capabilities, a key raw material for the tire industry,” the company adds.

Within the framework of the project, Tokai Carbon will utilize its experience in carbon black production, combining its technologies with the knowledge of its partners. The goal is to create a method for removing impurities from rCB and producing eCB with improved properties. By 2032, it is planned to launch a demonstration industrial plant with a capacity of 5,000 tons of eCB per year. Additionally, the development of “special polymers and carbon composites to enable the reuse of carbon black without the need for pyrolysis of end-of-life tires” will be carried out.

Tokai Carbon will develop technologies and equipment for the secondary processing of rCB, while Bridgestone will evaluate the physical properties of rubber compounds with added eCB and their potential practical applications in the production of new tires. In turn, Kyushu University will study the mechanisms of reinforcement of rubber compounds, and Okayama University will develop new special polymers.

Tokai Carbon (based in Tokyo) notes that it is actively working to reduce environmental damage and is implementing various initiatives to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050: “As a group of companies whose main product is carbon black, Tokai Carbon aims to improve its reusability and reduce CO2 emissions, contributing to the creation of an eco-friendly society”.

In turn, Bridgestone continues to implement its Evertire Initiative program, aimed at developing technologies that enable the use of old tires as raw materials in the production of new ones.