SÖDERTÄLJE, Sweden—Scania is exploring a new kind of bio-based rubber made from birch bark, a forest industry by-product that’s usually burned as waste. The goal is to evaluate low-carbon materials that could one day replace rubber made from petroleum.
AKRON, OH—Researchers at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. have discovered that using soybean oil in tires can increase tread life by 10 percent and reduce the tiremaker’s use of petroleum by 7 million gallons each year.