Making tyres greener
The EU-funded SATPRO project focused on the analysis of these production processes in light of the availability of new materials and how these might affect tire manufacture. The emphasis was placed on the "green tyre" formulation and the requisites for its production. The key reaction in this entire process is what is termed silanisation, intended for the production of tread compounds for silica-based tyres. Silanisation is defined as the chemical grafting of organic molecules via a trichlorosilane group. Project partner, ThyssenKrupp Elastomertechnik, developed an innovative silanisation reactor for the rubber industry, which could revolutionise the manufacturing of rubber-goods. There are distinct advantages associated with the use of the reactor, since reaction times are reduced and conditions can be more easily controlled. Currently these reactions are carried out using internal mixers, which are not specially adapted to silanisation steps. The new reactor can be easily integrated into existing mixing lines and carry usual mixing loads as the conventional internal mixers. ThyssenKrupp Elastomertechnik is seeking to form collaborations with interested stakeholders in the field in order to exploit the potential of this innovation at all levels.
