Market and product

Two recent developments in the chemical industry signal a clear shift toward bio-based and recycled materials in the tire supply chain — from silica derived from rice husk ash to synthetic rubber produced through microbial fermentation.

In February 2026, Belgian chemical group Solvay inaugurated a bio-circular silica production line at its Livorno plant in Italy. The move represents a concrete step in the company's raw material transition strategy, aimed at meeting increasingly stringent environmental standards set by the European Union.

The new line uses bio-based sodium silicate derived from rice husk ash — an agricultural byproduct — to produce highly dispersible silica (HDS), a key component in high-performance tire rubber compounds. According to Solvay, the process reduces CO₂ emissions by approximately 35% per ton of silica produced compared to conventional methods.

Continental Tires was among the first customers to trial the material. Jana Striezel, head of purchasing at Continental Tires, said the company is satisfied with the performance of rice husk ash silica and is gradually increasing its integration into tire production lines.

Livorno is the first site in Solvay's global network to use rice husk ash. The company aims to transition all its silica production facilities to ISCC PLUS-certified materials by 2026 — an international sustainability standard covering biomass and recycled content supply chains. Other sites will draw on locally available industrial waste streams. Under this roadmap, tire manufacturers using Solvay's circular silica can incorporate up to 15% recycled or renewable materials into tire composition, contributing to the 40% target by 2030 that several major tire makers have publicly committed to.

In April 2026, biotechnology companies Unibio (Denmark) and BioVerde Tech (Malaysia) announced a collaboration to develop processes for producing chemical intermediates from methane through microbial fermentation.
On the technical side, BioVerde will use Unibio's U-Loop vertical loop gas fermentation platform combined with genetically engineered strains of Methylococcus capsulatus developed by BioVerde. This bacterium is capable of converting methane into valuable organic compounds through metabolic processes.

In the initial phase, the two companies will focus on intermediates relevant to the synthetic rubber value chain, including pathways toward bio-based butadiene — currently a key feedstock for synthetic rubber and engineering plastics such as ABS, but one that remains almost entirely petroleum-derived.

Methane was selected as the feedstock of choice due to its low cost and availability from biogas or natural gas sources, reducing dependence on conventional petrochemical supply chains. The companies plan to advance process development through laboratory, demonstration and pilot scales before moving toward commercial-scale manufacturing.

Taken together, these two developments reflect growing pressure on the tire industry to reduce its carbon footprint across the entire supply chain, from raw materials to finished products. While Solvay draws on readily available agricultural byproducts to partially replace mineral-derived inputs, Unibio and BioVerde are working to substitute petrochemicals at the molecular level through biotechnology. Both approaches remain at early or emerging commercial stages, but they point to the industry's pursuit of multiple parallel pathways to meet its sustainability targets over the coming decade.

Source: https://www.tiretechnologyinternational.com/news/business/solvay-launches-bio-circular-silica-facility-in-livorno-to-drive-sustainable-tire-production-and-circular-innovation.html
https://www.tiretechnologyinternational.com/news/materials/unibio-and-bioverde-co-develop-methane-based-manufacturing-processes-for-sustainable-chemical-intermediates.html