Kumho pioneers use of rayon replacement fibre, 'Lyocell'

Seoul, Korea - Kumho Tyres has introduced a range of tyres that use the proprietary Lyocell fibre as a replacement for cellulose-based rayon.

Lyocell is a fibre made from wood pulp cellulose and offers a less environmentally-damaging manufacturing process than rayon. Lenzing AG of Austria markets it under the trademarked brand name Tencel, though other companies convert the material into yarns and fabrics.

In a statement, Kumho said, " it has developed new products which incorporate a new environmentally friendly material known as Lyocell for the first time. Used in the production of tyre cord for ultra-high performance (UHP) products, Lyocell can minimise environmentally hazardous materials produced during the manufacturing process. The first tyres incorporating the new material are to be released in Europe early in 2007."

The company says that it now plans to apply Lyocell cords to other tyres in mass production, thus further strengthening its commitment as an environmentally-aware manufacturer.

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Home page of Lenzing's Tencel material