Bridgestone and LanzaTech Look at Tyre Circularity
Bridgestone Americas has announced an exclusive partnership with Carbon Capture and Transformation (CCT) company, LanzaTech NZ, Inc. to address end-of-life tyre waste. The two companies will co-develop the first dedicated end-of-life tyre recycling process leveraging LanzaTech’s proprietary CCT technology.
Bridgestone and LanzaTech aim to address the issue of waste tyres by converting end-of-life tyres into new materials, including exploring processes to create sustainable synthetic rubber that does not rely on petrochemicals.
“We are excited to join forces with LanzaTech to co-create a more sustainable pathway for end-of-life tyres,” said Paolo Ferrari, President & CEO, Bridgestone Americas. “The steps we take today are determining the health of our planet for future generations. We are determined to meet the moment with sustainable innovation that transforms the way tyres are made and promotes end-to-end material circularity.”
Bridgestone and LanzaTech plan to develop a new business model that will create a post-consumer waste management strategy for end-of-life tyres, while also driving increased adoption of sustainably sourced chemicals for commercial applications. Applying LanzaTech’s carbon capture and gas fermentation process to end-of-life tyres yields sustainably produced chemicals such as ethanol that can be converted to materials such as PET for packaging, polyester yarn and surfactants used in consumer home goods like laundry detergent. In addition, Bridgestone and LanzaTech will jointly explore opportunities to co-develop proprietary microbe technology to produce more efficient pathways to produce butadiene, a key ingredient in new tyre production, realising a true circularity for end-of-life tyres.
Headquartered in Skokie, Ill., LanzaTech transforms waste carbon into materials such as sustainable fuels, fabrics, packaging, and other products. LanzaTech’s goal is to challenge and change the way the world uses Carbon, enabling a new circular Carbon economy where Carbon is reused rather than wasted, skies and oceans are kept clean, and pollution becomes a thing of the past.
Bridgestone is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality and make tyres from 100% renewable materials by 2050. The company is actively researching a range of solutions to support the recycling of materials from end-of-life tyres and promote the replacement of non-renewable materials such as oil, silica and virgin carbon black in new tyres. “Our partnership with LanzaTech is a clear commitment by Bridgestone to advancing sustainable tyre technologies and solutions that preserve the environment for future generations and contribute to the realisation of a carbon-neutral mobility society,” said Nizar.
