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Article: "Wood' you believe-tires from trees? Oregon researchers working on replacing some silica with cellulose.(News)
- Article from:
- Tire Business
- Article date:
- August 31, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Miles Moore
Wooden tires sound about as useful as wooden nickelsor buggy wheels on a Chevrolet 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 (MCC), 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 ...