TOBOLSK, December 10. /TASS/. Sibur, in collaboration with tire makers, is in end-stage tests on tires made of synthetic rubber, which could potentially replace natural rubber on the market very soon, Executive Board member Darya Borisova told reporters.
About 300 tire models for cars and trucks are being tested now.
Sibur is also working on adapting and creating formulas for rubber compounds and developing high-tech rubber grades for the tire industry. "We have already created, worked out and tested about twenty formulas in different parts of the tire (sidewalls, tread), as different parts have their specific requirements and characteristics. Our goal is to select formulations that will ensure the necessary physical-mechanical properties and provide an effective replacement with the required functionality," Borisova said.
"Replacing natural rubber with synthetic is strategically important for our country and for the industry. On the one hand, it provides technological independence and stability, ensuring supplies, and on the other, economic efficiency and lack of dependence on natural disasters," she added.