Friday, December 30, 2011

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Tires made from raw material from sugar rather than petroleum or rubber may one day have drivers rolling down the road on "green" wheels, U.S. researchers say.

Partnerships between tire companies and biotechnology firms have created new bio-based tires, already available as prototypes, an article in Chemical & Engineering News reported.

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Tight supplies and high prices for the natural rubber and synthetic rubber used to make almost 1 billion tires annually worldwide are driving the search for renewable, sustainable sources for raw materials, researchers said.

Tire companies like Goodyear and Michelin have teamed up with biotechnology firms to genetically engineer microbes that mimic rubber trees' natural processes in order to make latex rubber from sugar.

Tire companies say they hope sugar will buffer them against future shortages of natural and synthetic ingredients, and the "sweet" tires could have their debut within three to five years.