Goodyear To Use Rice Husks As Silica Source for Tires

October 22, 2014- Goodyear said it will begin using the ash from burned rice husks as a source of silica for its tires. The rice husk waste, burned to produce electricity, is normally sent to landfills.

More than 700 million tons of rice is harvested worldwide each year, and disposing of rice husks is an environmental challenge, Goodyear said. As a result, husks are often burned to generate electricity and to reduce waste shipped to landfills.

The company said it has tested rice husk-derived silica over the past two years and “found its impact on tire performance to be equal to traditional sources.”

Goodyear said it is negotiating with potential suppliers to purchase rice husk ash silica.

In 2006, Goodyear received a nearly $4 million grant from the European Union to develop eco-friendly tires, and the tiremaker pointed to a cornstarch concept. But corn starch technology died, according to Goodyear, because of “technical limitations on the amount of the material you could use in a tire.”

Read the full tirereview.com post here.

Carnow Conibear and Associates is a demonstrated leader in the occupational and environmental health professions since 1975. To find out more, click here or call us at (800) 860-4486.