Nokian Tyres says it has signed a research agreement for an international project aiming to improve the quality and yield of recycled carbon black from end-of-life tires. The manufacturer said this will enable the use of higher amounts of recycled carbon black in rubber compounds.

Carbon black is used as a reinforcing filler in tires to enhance their physical properties such as strength and resilience. Recycled carbon black can be used to partly replace fossil-based virgin carbon black. The target of the research project is to improve the properties of recycled carbon black so that it could be used more extensively. Nokian Tyres said its role in the project is to define the target properties for the improved recycled carbon black and test the materials produced.

Nokian Tyres included recycled carbon black in a commercial product line in 2022. The company said it was a step forward in reaching one of the company’s sustainability targets, which is to increase the share of recycled and renewable raw materials in tires to 50% by 2030.