Biochar as a Reinforcing Filler for Rubber Tires

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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.