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Goodyear to phase out petroleum-based tires with soybeans by 2040 Bryce Buyakie, The Daily Record 5/15/2021
https://msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/goodyear-to-phase-out-petroleum-based-tires-with-soybeans-by-2040

Quote:

Recent studies from the last decade have shown that petroleum isn't as efficient as some once thought. Now, companies, engineers and scientists aim to replace it with plant-based oils, specifically soybeans.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. recently announced its goal to replace all petroleum-based products with soybean oil by 2040.

The Akron-based firm is one in a line of companies that have begun to partially or fully replace petroleum with plant oil.
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Recent studies from the last decade have shown that petroleum isn't as efficient as some once thought. Now, companies, engineers and scientists aim to replace it with plant-based oils, specifically soybeans.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. recently announced its goal to replace all petroleum-based products with soybean oil by 2040.

The Akron-based firm is one in a line of companies that have begun to partially or fully replace petroleum with plant oil.

Switching to soybeans
Goodyear's search for a petroleum replacement began a decade ago when petroleum prices rose too high, so engineers like Bob Woloszynek sought out cheaper and more sustainable alternatives.

Around the same time, consumer requests started trickling in. They wanted environmentally friendly tires, said Woloszynek, chief engineer in Goodyear's Global Raw Material Development & Approvals department.

"We started to evaluate soybean oil, and being a triglyceride, it has a different chemical structure than your typical petroleum-based oils," he said.

Upon reviewing their initial findings, a few things stood out.

Soybean oil mixed better with the polymers used to create their rubber compounds, making it "a very flexible option," Woloszynek said.

It also has a low glass transition temperature, meaning it freezes at very low conditions.

"If you think of a high-performance summer tire, it's not really suitable for winter conditions because the rubber compound is formulated so that it grips the road in dry conditions and warm conditions," he said. "When it gets cold, that compound has a higher glass transition temperature, so then, as the temperature of the air gets cold, that rubber starts to get stiffer."

The stiffer the tire, the less traction it gets in cold and wet weather.

Soybean oil might allow Woloszynek and other engineers to design tires that could safely operate in hot and cold conditions.
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Other investments have gone toward infrastructure projects.

"Basically that is going to help protect bridge decks and things that have a lot of use and maybe a lot of salt or some sort of irritant that they use to help maintain the life of those bridges or roads," Reinhard said.

How many gallons of gasoline in a set of tires? Not much but it's the thought that counts. And removing the oils makes soybeans more valuable as an animal feed.