Biomass-Based Plasticizer for Sustainable Rubber Blends
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rubber mixtures for pneumatic vehicle tires, belts, and hoses face challenges in balancing conflicting goals such as wet grip, dry braking, rolling resistance, and abrasion, while also being environmentally unsustainable due to petroleum-based plasticizers and raw material limitations.
Innovation Solution
A rubber mixture composed of polar or non-polar rubber, light and dark fillers, and a plasticizer made from carbon-containing waste materials from tire production, which is free from polycyclic aromatics, enhancing sustainability and environmental compatibility while maintaining physical properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If petroleum-based plasticizers are used in rubber mixtures, then the flow properties and processing energy are improved, but the pollutant emissions and raw material sustainability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the plasticizer by using BTL oils with specific molecular weight ranges (180-300 g/mol) and controlled aromatic content (0-10 wt%), transforming the plasticizer from petroleum-based to biomass-based while maintaining functional performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses waste biomass materials (wood chips, agricultural residues) as feedstock for producing BTL plasticizers, converting low-value waste into high-value rubber additives, thereby reducing raw material costs and improving sustainability
2Object-affected harmful factors
If vegetable oils are used as plasticizers in rubber mixtures, then the environmental compatibility is improved, but the availability and quantity for the rubber industry deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The BTL oil production process can utilize multiple types of biomass feedstocks (wood chips, agricultural residues, energy crop residues), making the plasticizer source universally available from various waste streams rather than dependent on limited vegetable oil crops
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers valuable plasticizer components from waste biomass materials that would otherwise be discarded, converting waste streams into useful rubber industry inputs through BTL oil production
3Reliability
If silica is used to replace carbon black in rubber compounds, then the driving characteristics are improved, but the rolling resistance and abrasion behavior deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite filler systems combining silica with specific BTL oil plasticizers, where the BTL oil modifies the silica-rubber interface to reduce hysteresis losses and improve the overall performance balance of the composite material
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces pollutant emissions, achieves independence from crude oil, and maintains the same physical properties as traditional mixtures, with improved environmental compatibility and sustainable production.
Implementation Method 1
carbon-containing waste from tire production and the production of other technical rubber articles are used as the starting material, so that this waste does not additionally pollute the environment, but rather undergoes a kind of 'recycling'
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a rubber blend, particularly for pneumatic vehicle tyres, harnesses, straps, and hoses. The rubber blend is characterised by the following composition: - at least one polar or non-polar rubber, - at least one light and/or dark filler, - at least one plasticiser which is free from polycyclic aromatic compounds and which was produced based on waste materials containing carbon that result from the production of tyres and additional technical rubber articles, and - further additives.