Goodyear, Monolith sign agreement for carbon black production

New carbon black process could reduce environmental impact of tires across life cycle

Goodyear has signed a collaboration agreement and letter of intent with Monolith for the development and potential use of carbon black produced from methane and/or biomethane for tires.

The carbon black is produced using a plasma-based methane pyrolysis process which is intended to advance Goodyear’s work to identify and use more sustainable materials.

Typically, carbon black is produced in a process involving the combustion of residual oil or coal tar oil.

Carbon black is a key ingredient in tires, providing tire compounds with added strength, tear resistance and abrasion resistance.

Monolith is described as a world leader in clean hydrogen and materials production. The plasma-based process used to produce the carbon black uses electricity from renewable sources and results only in the output of carbon and hydrogen.

A life cycle assessment completed for Monolith shows the plasma-based process should result in environmental benefits across the life cycle, including a reduction in carbon emissions, compared to traditional carbon black.

In addition, the life cycle assessment shows that this technology has the potential for a carbon-neutral to carbon-negative impact, based on increased utilization of biomethane feedstock versus natural gas in the future.