Biochar as a Reinforcing Filler for Rubber Tires

轮胎级橡胶主要由弹性体和填充物组成，如白炭黑和炭黑。这些填充物通过提供增强来增加弹性体的刚性。除了相对昂贵之外，炭黑是由不可再生的石油原料制成的，而且制造过程污染很大。这个为期3年的项目将侧重于利用被视为农业废物的原料作为生产轮胎工业高质量填充剂的起始材料的潜力。可广泛获得的农业废弃物将根据其在纤维素、木质纤维素和木质素中的含量而被选为原料。选定的原料将在实验室规模的间歇热解装置中进行热解。将确定几个物理化学性质，如孔隙率、密度、表面积、形状和大小、官能团的确定，以及其他性质。在实验室规模热解结果的基础上，将扩大提供生物炭良好性能的原料和实验条件。使用生物炭的橡胶复合材料将在米其林公司的研究设施中生产。样品将被送往麦吉尔大学，以确定其热和机械性能。新橡胶轮胎的性能将与填充炭黑的传统橡胶轮胎进行比较。由于生物炭将由低成本原料合成，该项目有可能为米其林提供更可持续、更环保和更经济的橡胶轮胎新配方。加拿大人将受益于这些新的、可持续和环保的轮胎，受益于对生物炭的性质和其他潜在应用的更好了解，以及受过培训的高素质人员，以解决围绕这些新弹性体填充物和其他基于生物炭的产品合成的一些关键研发和制造问题。

Tire grade rubbers are composed primarily of elastomers and fillers such as silica and carbon black. These fillers increase the rigidity of elastomers by providing reinforcement. In addition to being relatively costly, carbon black is made from non-renewable petroleum feedstocks, and the manufacturing process is highly polluting. This 3-years project will focus on the potential of using feedstock considered as agricultural wastes as starting materials for the production of high quality fillers for the tire industry. Widely available agricultural wastes will be selected as feedstock depending on their content in cellulose, lignocellulose and lignin. The selected feedstocks will undergo pyrolysis under a lab-scale batch pyrolysis unit. Several physico-chemical properties such as the porosity, density, surface area, shape and size, the determination of the the functional groups, among other properties will be determined. Based on the results obtained with the lab-scale pyrolysis, the feedstock and experimental conditions which have provided biochar with desirable properties will be scaled-up. Rubber composite materials using biochar will be produced in the Michelin Inc. research facilities. Samples will be sent to McGill University for the determination of their thermal and mechanical properties. The properties if the new rubber tires will be compared to conventional rubber tires filled with carbon black. Since the biochar will be synthesized from low cost feedstocks, this project has the potential to deliver to Michelin new formulations for rubber tires that are more sustainable, environmentally-friendly and economical to produce. Canadians will benefit from these new, sustainable and eco-friendly tires, from the better understanding gained in the properties and other potential applications of biochar and from the highly qualified personnel trained to address some of the critical R&D and manufacturing issues surrounding the synthesis of these new elastomer fillers and other biochar-based products.