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 .
Tyres could in future be made from from trees, corn and grass rather than oil, thanks to researchers from the University of Minnesota. The team created a chemical process to make isoprene, the key molecule in car tyres, from biomass, according to a study published in ACS Catalysis. This development could have a "major impact on the multi-billion dollar automobile tyres 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.