Joint Project Launched to Advance Recovered Carbon Black

Collaborative initiative aims to produce new eco Carbon Black (eCB) from end-of-life tires and other sources

Tokai Carbon Co., Ltd., Bridgestone Corporation, Kyushu University and Okayama University have launched a technology development project to perform secondary processing on recovered carbon black (rCB) extracted from end-of-life tires and polymer products containing rubber.

The project aims to convert these materials into eco Carbon Black (eCB) with rubber reinforcement properties equivalent to those of virgin carbon black (vCB) that is derived from petroleum and coal.

The project was proposed by Tokai Carbon and its partners  Bridgestone, Kyushu University, Okayama University and was selected by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) under the Green Innovation Fund Project.

While efforts are already underway to pyrolyze polymer products including rubber from end-of-life tires to recover and reuse rCB, the practical application of rCB in new tires still faces challenges, the project partners said.

Among them, rCB has lower rubber reinforcement performance compared to vCB, due to impurities.

With the anticipated growth in the automotive and transportation sectors, tire demand is expected to rise correspondingly. These efforts are focused on enhancing resource circulation by further enabling the recycling of vCB, a key raw material for tires.

Tokai Carbon will leverage the technologies and expertise it has developed through carbon black manufacturing, combining them with the knowledge and technologies of Bridgestone, Kyushu University, and Okayama University.

Together, the joint project members aim to develop technology to remove impurities from rCB and produce eCB with superior rubber reinforcing properties.

The project plans include a demonstration plant with capacity to produce 5,000 tons/year of eCB by fiscal year 2032.

The project will focus on developing special polymer/carbon composites that enable the reuse of carbon black without the need for pyrolysis of end-of-life tires.

Under the joint project, Tokai Carbon will develop technology and equipment for secondary processing of rCB into eCB.

Bridgestone will evaluate the physical properties of rubber using eCB and give a practical evaluation of tires.

Kyushu University will  observe and evaluate the surface state of eCB and clarify rubber reinforcement mechanisms.

Okayama University will  develop  Special Polymers/Special Carbon Composites.

© Scrap Tire News, February 2025