Michelin showcases full lifecycle tire solution at IAA Transportation: prototype truck tires containing 70% renewable and recycled materials

Michelin brings “whole life performance” to IAA Transportation

According to Tyrpress, Michelin showcased multiple conceptual solutions and solutions with market conditions around the theme of “whole life performance” at the IAA Transportation exhibition. These displays are not a single product release, but cover the complete chain of material circulation for tires from new tire use, refurbishment to scrap. Michelin’s display this time includes: a prototype of a truck and bus tire containing 70% renewable and recycled raw materials; New mass-produced tire products; And the latest update on the Michelin Remix refurbishment business portfolio. In addition, the report also mentioned Nazca regrooving technology, which will be further discussed in the October issue of Tyres&Accessories.

What does 70% renewable and recycled raw material prototype tire mean?

In the field of truck and bus tires, the 70% ratio refers to the composition of raw materials rather than tire performance indicators.

. For rubber formulations, the core challenge in increasing the proportion of renewable and recycled raw materials lies in whether these materials can maintain a processing window and performance balance comparable to conventional materials during mixing, vulcanization, and final use. Truck and bus tires typically withstand high loads, long mileage, and frequent retreading, requiring high resistance to tearing, fatigue, and heat aging of the rubber material. Therefore, the significance of such prototype tires is not only in terms of “environmentally friendly material usage” itself, but also in verifying the compatibility of alternative raw materials in real formulation systems, including their combination with reinforcing fillers, vulcanization systems, and rubber additives such as anti-aging agents and antioxidants. If the impurities or structural differences introduced by the substitute raw materials affect the sulfurization return or aging behavior, adjustments need to be made through the aid system.

Refurbishment and grooving: two key stages of the entire lifecycle

The latest update of Michelin Remix’s refurbishment business portfolio, along with Nazca grooving technology, together constitute the extension of the usage phase in the “full lifecycle” narrative.

. Refurbishment restores the tire’s useful value by replacing the tread rubber, while grooving is the process of re carving grooves when the tread depth allows, extending the tire’s service mileage before retreading. From a material perspective, refurbished tread rubber needs to adhere well to the polished old tire body and form a stable interface during the vulcanization process. This process is sensitive to the selection of vulcanization system, thickening resin, and anti-aging agent: if the bonding interface ages too quickly, it will affect the durability of the refurbished tire. Therefore, material updates in the renovation business are often synchronized with adjustments to rubber additive formulations.

Inspiration for the Polymer Additive Industry

Michelin’s exhibition direction has put forward two levels of requirements for rubber additive suppliers.

. Firstly, in the trend of increasing the proportion of renewable and recycled raw materials, additives need to help formulations maintain stable processing and vulcanization behavior within a wider range of raw material fluctuations. For example, anti-aging agents and antioxidant systems need to address the potential degradation components in recycled raw materials to avoid early aging affecting tire life. Secondly, the full lifecycle concept incorporates refurbishment and grooving into product value assessment, which means that the weather resistance and aging resistance of tread rubber and refurbished rubber materials will be measured over a longer period of use. For additive companies, stable solutions that can support multiple refurbishments and extend the service life of tire bodies will be easier to enter the formulation system of truck and bus tires. Overall, Michelin’s display at IAA Transportation did not disclose specific formula or additive information, but its emphasis on raw material recycling and extended service life pointed out the direction that needs to be jointly addressed for reinforcing fillers, vulcanization systems, and anti-aging agents in tire rubber formulations.

Information source:Michelin highlighting whole life performance at IAA Transportation， Organized by Herun Chemical.