Hankook, Solvay in link-up to develop 'circular silica'

Seoul – Hankook Tire & Technology Co. and Solvay have signed an agreement to develop 'circular silica' derived from waste for use in the production of tires.

Under the deal, Hankook is to produce silica by extracting silicate from industrial waste sand and mining waste, currently being discarded without recycling, said the tire maker 10 Jan.

The move will, in part, help to overcome the limitations of rice bran-based silica which is increasingly being used as a source of sustainable silica.

According to Hankook, tire makers are experiencing difficulties sourcing rice husk silica due to its cost, limited supply and well as 'regional demand diversification.'

Rice husks, it added, have a large volume and weight, so transportation costs are high, while supply is limited by concentrated demand in southeast Asia and China.

As a result, Hankook said it was developing the technology with Solvay Silica with the goal of mass-producing sustainable circular silica by 2030.

The partners are currently in the sample evaluation stage, Hankook added.

Hankook said it expected that the collaboration would lead to the scaling-up of the technology, helping improve the supply of the raw material and price-stabilisation.