Birla Carbon and GranBio Technologies announce the introduction of their patent-pending NDC™ rubber masterbatch for qualification by tire and rubber companies. The breakthrough in NDC™ masterbatch is the result of a three-year Joint Development Program between the two companies designed to address growing sustainability demands from the tire industry both in terms of improving tire rolling resistance and vehicle fuel economy through enabling the incorporation of sustainable, bio-derived nanocellulose into commercial rubber compounds.
The utilisation of nanocellulose in rubber goods and tires has been an active area of research and development throughout industry and academia over the past several years. However, effective dispersion of hydrophilic nanocellulose into hydrophobic rubber formulations has been a persistent problem that has previously hindered widespread uptake by the rubber industry.
Sharing his thoughts on the announcement, Dale Clark, Chief Technology Officer, Birla Carbon said, “At Birla Carbon, we focus on the market trends and work closely with our customers to understand where they need help delivering value. A key product innovation goal of our tire customers is to increase the amount of renewable raw materials in their tires through product innovation.” He further added, “The NDCTM masterbatch enables delivery of this goal while maintaining or improving tire properties and performance.”
“This is a significant milestone in GranBio’s commercialisation of its breakthrough BioPlus® nanocellulose technology. GranBio Technologies is committed to bringing renewable technologies to market to improve sustainability while providing improved product functionality for our customers. We are proud to be partnering with Birla Carbon to bring this solution to market and look forward to seeing the first commercial products literally on the road,” shared Kenneth Hill, Chief Commercial Officer, GranBio Technologies.
The NDC™ masterbatch overcomes traditional dispersion challenges by combining several synergistic innovations developed by our team members including GranBio’s patented hydrophobic form of nanocellulose. The breakthrough in nanocellulose technology for rubber compounds provides many advantages and benefits for the rubber compounder including easy dispersing, convenient, dust-free handling and integration into formulations along with increased use of renewable raw materials and improvements in fuel economy.
