Coming soon – Tires made from eggshells, tomato peels

Image credit: Kenneth Chamberlain, The Ohio State University.

New Delhi: Looks like future automobile tires would come from the farm as much as the factory.

Researchers at The Ohio State University have discovered that food waste can partially replace the carbon black, petroleum-based filler that has been used in manufacturing tires for more than a century.

In tests, rubber made with the new fillers exceeds industrial standards for performance, which may ultimately open up new applications for rubber.

"We found that replacing different portions of carbon black with ground eggshells and tomato peels caused synergistic effects - for instance, enabling strong rubber to retain flexibility," Cindy Barrera, a postdoctoral researcher in Cornish's lab, said in a statement.

The technology has the potential to solve three problems - it makes the manufacture of rubber products more sustainable, reduces American dependence on foreign oil and keeps waste out of landfills, said Katrina Cornish, who along with her colleagues developed the method for turning eggshells and tomato peels into viable - and locally sourced--replacements for carbon black.

The researchers found in tests that eggshells have porous microstructures that provide larger surface area for contact with the rubber, and give rubber-based materials unusual properties.

Tomato peels, on the other hand, are highly stable at high temperatures and can also be used to generate material with good performance.

The new findings could make the manufacture of rubber products more sustainable and also keep waste out of landfills.

(With IANS inputs)