Bridgestone pushing research into bio-based tire rubber

Bridgestone Corp., materials specialist ENEOS Materials and engineering construction (EPC) company JGC Holdings are accelerating their cooperation to commercialize plant-based synthetic rubber tires.

Since 2022, the three partners have been conducting basic technical research and market research on the production of bio-butadiene from plant resources. On February 5, Bridgestone announced that the three parties have also been using bio-butadiene to develop synthetic rubber for tires.

As part of the enhanced cooperation plan, the partners will promote the production of bio-butadiene from plant-based bioethanol. The three parties will use this bio-butadiene to produce synthetic rubber, and then use the rubber to make tires.

The goal of the project is to commercialize the production of bio-based tires in the first half of the 2030s, and the medium-term goal is to produce demonstration tires with the help of test equipment in 2028. Bridgestone said the three parties will also study the construction of a synthetic rubber supply chain and verify the social and customer value of such tires.

In addition, ENEOS and JGC are working on a project to build a bio-manufacturing ecosystem using "unused" resources such as wood, which may contribute to the production of bio-based tires. As part of the project, especially for paper mills that use wood waste as raw materials, ENEOS will be committed to developing "butadiene conversion technology" and promoting its industrialization by using bioethanol produced from unused resources.