Bridgestone, partners intensify work to commercialise plant-based tires

Tokyo – Bridgestone Corp., materials specialist Eneos Materials and EPC engineering company JGC Holdings are accelerating their collaboration toward the commercialisation of tires made from plant-based synthetic rubber.

The three partners have been conducting basic technology studies and market research since 2022 on the production of biobutadiene derived from plant resources.

The trio have also been working on developing synthetic rubber for tires from the biobutadiene, Bridgestone reported 5 Feb.

As part of the intensified programme, the partners will promote the production of biobutadiene obtained from bioethanol derived from plant resources.

The three will work on the production of synthetic rubber using the same biobutadiene and then build tires using the same rubber.

The project aims to commercialise the production of bio-based tires in the first half of the 2030s, with a mid-way target in 2028 to produce demo tires using a pilot device.

The trio will also study the construction of a supply chain for synthetic rubber and verify the social and customer value of the tires, Bridgestone said.

Separately, Eneos and JGC are working on a project to build a biomanufacturing ecosystem using “unused” resources such as wood, which could contribute to the production of bio-based tires.

As part of that project, which specifically targets paper mills of use of wood waste, Eneos will aim to develop and industrialise “butadiene conversion technology” using bioethanol produced from unused resources.