The Center for Tire Research (CenTiRe) is pleased to announce funding for a new two-year research project, "Butadiene CO₂ Polymers: Formulation and Testing," led by Dr. James Eagan at the University of Akron. The project begins in August 2026 and represents another exciting step toward developing more sustainable materials for the tire industry.

As tire manufacturers seek innovative ways to reduce their environmental footprint, this research explores an exciting concept: incorporating captured carbon dioxide (CO₂) into synthetic rubber used in tire compounds. Rather than treating CO₂ solely as a greenhouse gas, the project investigates how it can become a valuable raw material for future tire technologies.

This project builds on earlier CenTiRe-sponsored research that successfully demonstrated how CO₂ can be incorporated into synthetic rubber while maintaining promising mechanical properties. With that scientific foundation established, the new research moves from material development into practical tire applications by formulating, processing, and evaluating these new rubber compounds.

The research team will produce larger quantities of these CO₂-based polymers, blend them into representative tire compounds, and evaluate key performance characteristics such as durability, flexibility, processing behavior, and overall material performance. The project will also investigate CO₂-derived processing oils that could further increase the amount of recycled carbon incorporated into future tire formulations.

Beyond performance, the research will examine how these new materials may contribute to improved sustainability by reducing dependence on traditional petroleum-based feedstocks while increasing the use of captured carbon. Although creating a truly carbon-negative tire will require advances across many tire components and manufacturing processes, this project represents an important milestone toward that long-term vision.

If successful, the work could provide the tire industry with entirely new material options that combine sustainability with high performance—helping manufacturers meet future environmental goals while advancing the circular carbon economy.

At CenTiRe, we are proud to support research that addresses both today's engineering challenges and tomorrow's sustainability opportunities. We look forward to working with Dr. Eagan and his research team over the next two years as they continue advancing innovative solutions for the future of tire technology.

Interested in helping shape the future of tire innovation?

CenTiRe welcomes tire manufacturers, material and testing suppliers, automotive companies, and organizations across the tire value chain to participate in our collaborative research program. Industry members work directly with leading faculty and graduate researchers from Virginia Tech and the University of Akron to help define research priorities, mentor projects, and accelerate technologies that address real-world industry challenges.

If your organization is interested in influencing cutting-edge research in sustainability, advanced materials, tire testing, physics, and manufacturing, we'd love to start a conversation about CenTiRe membership and the benefits of joining our industry consortium.