The development of a 100% sustainable tire has emerged
as a milestone
for several tire companies across the globe. It has created new commercial
opportunities for the biobased, renewable, and recycled polymer materials.
However, there are concerns that the incorporation of such sustainable
new materials may have an undesirable impact on the main performance
properties of the tire. At the same time, with new capabilities and
product innovations, it can help us meet society’s need in
a more sustainable fashion and protect the environment. This Feature
first outlines the opportunities and need for sustainable tire materials.
Next, it describes the main types of sustainable material attributes
in tire material, elastomers, reinforcing agents, fibers, and plasticizers,
among a few others. The challenges to achieving the performance properties
are discussed with possible design guidelines. Recent approaches to
the tire attributes are described in the form of a meticulous overview
of the existing literature, with a critical analysis of some of them.
This contribution attempts to highlight, in a comprehensive way, sustainable
tire materials on the basis of recent research advancements, existing
challenges, and prospective future scope in this field.