Researchers have developed a patent-pending technology for incorporating food waste into
rubber as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based materials used conventionally.
Credit: Kenneth Chamberlain/Ohio State University
Tomato peels, eggshells and other food that gets discarded could be turned into sustainable rubber for use in tires, according to a new study.
Researchers found that the petroleum-based material used as filler for rubber tires could be made from food waste and other trash, offering a petroleum alternative in tire manufacturing. And beyond tires, the scientists think using food waste as a filler could expand the potential applications of rubber, they said.
Cindy Barrera, a postdoctoral researcher at Ohio State University (OSU) and co-author of the research, said that conventional fillers can make rubber stronger, but also less flexible. [Changing Earth: 7 Ideas to Geoengineer Our Planet] https://www.livescience.com/58330-food-waste-turned-into-rubber-tires.html
