It was in February 2021 when Michelin announced that it will use 40 per cent of sustainable materials to manufacture its tyres by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2050. And to achieve those set targets, Michelin has partnered with a French biochemistry firm called Carbios. Now, Carbios has developed a technology that can de-polymerise plastic, through an enzymatic recycling process. This process can help Michelin to use plastic waste, especially single-use PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles and use the same as an ingredient to manufacture tyres.
Also Read: Michelin Increases Prices Of Its Tyres In Africa, India and Middle-East
(Carbios, a French biochemistry firm has developed a technology to reuse plastic bottles into making high tenacity fibres used in the process of manufacturing tyres)
Photo Credit: istock
The de-polymerising process can be used to recycle 100 per cent PET waste and convert them into high tenacity fibres which meet the requirement to make Michelin tyres. This high tenacity polyester is suitable for making tyres, as it has proven to be highly resistant to breakage, has good thermal stability and is tough too.
(Michelin aims to use 40 per cent sustainable materials to manufacture its tyres by 2030)
"We are very proud to be the first to have produced and tested recycled technical fibres for tires. These reinforcements were made from colored bottles and recycled using the enzymatic technology of our partner, Carbios," said Nicolas Seeboth, Director of Polymer Research at Michelin. "These high-tech reinforcements have demonstrated their ability to provide performance identical to those from the oil industry.
Also Read: Michelin & Enviro Working On New Recycling Technique For Old Tyres
(Every year 1.6 billion car tyres are sold globally)
Every year, 1.6 billion car tyres are sold worldwide and over 800,000 tonnes of PET fibres are used in the manufacturing of these tyres. Michelin suggests that it could recycle nearly 3 billion plastic bottles into high tenacity plastic fibre in manufacturing tyres. Currently, Carbios is testing the technology at a pilot scale and says that it will start a demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand, its headquarters by September 2021. Clermont-Ferrand also serves as the headquarters for Michelin as well.
