Article: Cellulose in tires? It's coming, OSU researchers say.(News)

Byline: Miles Moore

Wooden tires sound about as useful as wooden nickelsor buggy wheels on a Corvette. Yet, thanks to the work of wood science researchers at Oregon State University, tires reinforced with wood- or plant-based fibers could become commonplace.

Kaichang Li, associate professor of wood science and engineering at OSU, and graduate student Wen Bai have worked for the past three years on experiments in which microcrystalline cellulose, a micrometer-sized cellulose crystal, partially replaces silica as a reinforcing filler in rubber tire compounds.

The result, they said, is a tire that costs less and requires less energy to manufacture ...

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