Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Visolis, a pioneering sustainable technology company, announced a collaboration project between the two companies to produce isoprene through the upcycling of biobased materials. This collaboration is supported by a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant awarded to Visolis earlier this year.

Isoprene, an important precursor for some types of synthetic rubber, is a hydrocarbon that is typically generated as a by-product from refining crude oil. Isoprene units are polymerized into long chains using a catalyst to produce polyisoprene, which is used as a raw material in manufacturing tires and other items.

The Visolis and Goodyear collaboration will leverage Visolis' technology to produce high-quality isoprene from lignocellulosic feedstocks, which are non-edible biomass and agricultural materials. Visolis conducted an initial carbon footprint analysis to explore the reduction potential of its process and will continue to evaluate reductions further as part of their collaboration project with Goodyear. 

"We are excited to collaborate with Goodyear and leverage our revolutionary technology to transform waste materials into valuable monomers," said Dr. Deepak Dugar, CEO of Visolis. "This partnership is a testament to our shared commitment to sustainable practices and the development of advanced materials that drive positive change."

"We believe that innovation and collaboration is key to making progress along our sustainability journey and helping us achieve our goals, including net-zero value chain emissions by 2050," said Chris Helsel, senior vice president, Global Operations and Chief Technology Officer, Goodyear. "By working with companies like Visolis, we are able to continue to learn, innovate and help build a better future."