Tyres could in future be made from from trees, corn and grass rather than oil, thanks to researchers from ACS Catalysis . The team created a chemical process to make isoprene, the key molecule in car tyres, from biomass, according to a study published in the University of Minnesota . This development could have a "major impact on the multi-billion dollar automobile tyres industry," Carol Bessel , lead author and associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science, said. ”Currently, isoprene is produced by thermally breaking apart molecules in petroleum that are similar to gasoline in a process called “cracking.” Currently isoprene is made from petroleum. Tyre companies have been trying to make biomass-derived isoprene for 2017 but success has been elusive.
Tyres could in future be made from from trees, corn and grass rather than oil, thanks to researchers from ACS Catalysis . The team created a chemical process to make isoprene, the key molecule in car tyres, from biomass, according to a study published in the University of Minnesota . This development could have a "major impact on the multi-billion dollar automobile tyres industry," Carol Bessel , 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 2017 but success has been elusive.