The Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Company has reached an agreement with Yihai Food & Oil Industry, in China, for the supply of silica derived from rice husk ash.

Goodyear will begin using the silica this year in a consumer tyre that will be manufactured in its factory in Pulandian, China, and sold in China.

Goodyear has tested silica derived from rice husk ash over the past two years at its innovation centre, in the US, and found its impact on tyre performance to be equal to traditional sources.

“Sustainability is a cornerstone of Goodyear’s innovation efforts,” says chairperson and CEO Richard J Kramer.

“This new silica benefits the environment in many ways: it reduces waste going into landfills; it requires less energy to produce; and it helps make tyres more fuel efficient.”

Each year, more than 700-million tons of rice is harvested worldwide, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, and disposing of the rice husks is an environmental challenge.

As a result, husks are often burned to generate electricity and reduce the amount of waste shipped to landfills. While this ash has been converted into silica for several years, only these most recent processes created silica of an adequte grade to use in tyres.

Most silica in the market today is derived from sand; however, the process to convert sand into silica consumes a lot of energy.

Silica is used as a reinforcing agent in tyre tread compounds. Compared with carbon black, a traditional reinforcing agent for tyres, silica reduces rolling resistance.

Lower rolling resistance, in turn, improves a car’s fuel economy. It also can have a positive impact on a tyre’s traction on wet surfaces.

In addition to the agreement with Yihai, Goodyear is negotiating agreements with additional suppliers. Th financial details of the agreements have not been released.