Tyres could in future be made from from trees , shrubs and grass rather than oil , thanks to researchers from the University of Michigan . The team created a chemical process to make isoprene , the key molecule in car tyres , from biomass , according to a study published in Applied Catalysis . This development could have a " major impact on the multi - billion dollar automobile fuel industry , " Paul Dauenhauer , lead author and associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science , said . (Phosphorous Self-Pillared Pentasil), the team was able to demonstrate a catalytic efficiency as high as 90 percent with most of the catalytic product being isoprene. Currently isoprene is made from petroleum . Tyre companies have been trying to make biomass - derived isoprene for the past decade but success has been elusive .
Tyres could in future be made from from trees , shrubs and grass rather than oil , thanks to researchers from the University of Michigan . The team created a chemical process to make isoprene , the key molecule in car tyres , from biomass , according to a study published in Applied Catalysis . This development could have a " major impact on the multi - billion dollar automobile fuel industry , " Paul Dauenhauer , lead author and associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science , said . Currently isoprene is made from petroleum . Tyre companies have been trying to make biomass - derived isoprene for the past decade but success has been elusive .