Goodyear in link-up to produce 'upcycled' isoprene

Akron, Ohio – Goodyear and California-based technology company Visolis have started a collaboration to produce isoprene monomer via the upcycling of biobased materials.

Visolis combines AI, synthetic biology and catalysis technologies to produce 'carbon negative' replacements for petrochemicals and fuels for various industries.

Goodyear aims to leverage Visolis' technology to produce the synthetic rubber feedstock from 'non-edible' lignocellulosic biomass and related materials, the Akron group said 26 Oct.

Visolis, it added, conducted an initial carbon-footprint analysis to explore the reduction potential of its process and will continue to evaluate reductions as part of the collaborative project.

"Innovation and collaboration is key to making progress along our sustainability journey and helping us achieve our goals,” said Goodyear chief technology officer and SVP Chris Helsel.

Goodyear did not provide further details about the programme but said it was supported by a “small business innovation research” grant awarded to Visolis earlier this year.

The startup, founded in 2017, also completed an $8 million (€7.5 million) fund-raising round in January in which Zeon Corp. and Sumitomo Chemical invested were partners.

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