ACE to present new 6PPD research findings at Hanover expo

ACE Laboratories, an independent ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory in the USA, will unveil its latest findings on 6PPD at Tire Technology Expo 2025. This research builds on previous studies presented at last year’s conference, which highlighted significant differences in 6PPD leachability between high-silica and carbon black-based tread compounds.

At Tire Technology Expo 2024, ACE Laboratories CEO Erick Sharp presented data on the leachability of 6PPD, zinc and hydrocarbons from TWPs. The study found that TWPs from high-silica tread compounds release 6PPD into water at a significantly higher rate than those from carbon black-based formulations – on average, twice the rate.

Possible explanations for this difference included factors such as TWP morphology, silica’s potential role as a “moisture highway”, and carbon black’s capacity to retain polar compounds. The study also showed similar migration trends for zinc and sulfur, raising further environmental considerations.

Building on these findings, ACE Laboratories has conducted additional comparative studies to further quantify the migration rates of 6PPD and its transformation product 6PPD-quinone from TWPs generated from different tread formulations - to understand how variations in filler and polymer composition influence migration rates.

The latest results will be available in a new white paper, which visitors can pick up at ACE’s Booth C312 at Tire Technology Expo 2025.

ACE Laboratories provides testing, development and consulting services to the rubber industry, tire manufacturers, and industry suppliers worldwide.

For several years, ACE has conducted accelerated screening analysis for 6PPD alternatives in tire compounds, responding to the significant rise in requests for testing potential replacements for 6PPD and reflecting broader industry efforts to evaluate new tire additive technologies.

This is part of ACE’s extensive expertise in tire materials, which also includes standard and custom analysis, compound development, regulatory and OEM compliance, dynamic durability testing, silica dispersion analysis, ozone and weathering resistance testing, environmental exposure studies, and material wear and abrasion testing.

For more information, visit ace-laboratories.com