The Dow Chemical Company, a pioneer in the field of chemistry, has collaborated with Lehigh Technologies, one of the leading green materials manufacturers in the world, to develop more sustainable tires.
The Dow-Lehigh partnership will integrate Lehigh's capability in development and testing of sustainable rubber compounds with Dow's experience in polymer chemistry. Both the companies will unite their proprietary technologies to transform rubber materials.
Dow Construction Chemicals’ General Manager, Colin Gouveia stated that the partnership will provide an opportunity for the company to leverage its latex polymer technology for an enduring cause. Also, Lehigh's expertise in market understanding and application will help to bring value-added solution to the market.
Lehigh’s major client base including top tire companies have requested advanced technologies to increase sustainable materials in tires. The company’s main aim is to have one billion tires on the road produced with their alternative sustainable materials. The partnership with Dow will help to achieve this milestone said Dr.Alan Barton.
The proprietary manufacturing process of Lehigh converts tires and post-industrial rubber materials into high quality, sustainable micronized rubber powders. These powders are compatible with the existing formulations of Lehigh’s clients, allowing easer integration into the existing or new products. The sustainable rubber powders help to control the rising cost of non-renewable materials and also help to achieve sustainability goals. Lehigh's micron-scale rubber powders are currently used in more than 100 million tires.
Source: http://www.dow.com/