A New Eco-Friendly Rubber Could Make The Industry Cleaner And Less Costly

Since 2001, when the gene of the compound needed to create rubber was first identified, there has been a lot of pressure on scientists and tire industries to get some traction in the search for eco-friendly rubber. Recently, researchers at the University of Minnesota discovered a method, published in the journal ACS Catalysis, that could make the industry greener by using carbon from natural sources such as grass, trees and corn instead of fossil fuels like petroleum. Since the price of corn is much cheaper than the price of petroleum, the researchers hope this process is cheaper for the tire industry to adopt.