Scientists pioneer chemical process to repurpose rubber waste

Posted by PaulHoule 5 days ago

Scientists pioneer chemical process to repurpose rubber waste(phys.org)

43 points | 15 comments

ta988 2 days ago|

This would use large amounts of trifluoroacetic acid which is a chemical of concern for many reasons.

schainks 2 days ago||

Say more? Is trifluoroacetic acid useful for other things? Also does it come out as liquid or gas in these reactions?

I don't know much about organic chemistry but this approach seems like it produces byproducts of "value", as in commercial value. Even if they are dangerous like traditional byproducts, it seems like they can be used for other things instead of just a waste product sitting around?

hammock 2 days ago||

Idk what is worse, that or benzene and dioxins

PaulHoule 2 days ago||

Had a high school science teacher who had a harrowing encounter with

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichloroacetic_acid

and usually replacing the Cl -> F makes it worse. (Though there's that weird thing that HF hydrogen bonds itself so strongly that it's a weaker acid than HCl though it makes up for it in danger by being neurotoxic.)

apples_oranges 2 days ago|

I assume finding a good clean reliable and long lasting substitute for current tire materials would take the market by storm.. probably r&d investments have been made accordingly and it's just a matter of time..

nightfly 2 days ago||

If there was a good substitute for rubber for tires that wouldn't have the same environmental issues it probably wouldn't be long lasting. Imagine a mostly biodegradable rubber tire that lasts 6-12 months before starting to deteriorate. Instead of switching between your summer and winter tires you'd get all-new "green" tires twice a year.

bluGill 2 days ago||

IF the new tires were cheap enough that would be fine. Quick lube places could easially install devices to replace your tires and thus your $100 oil change becomes a $130 oil change. Of if you have an electric car your regular tire rotation (which almost nobody does - but it should be done as often as an oil change!) gets turned into a tire replacement.

m3047 2 days ago||

If AI could build tires then the quick lube could just come to your place of work and assemble the tires right on your car from raw materials, amiright?

Look, my last set of tires cost $1000 (and that was before COVID). They might last 50K miles. How much do you drive? There is no way that new tires plus replacement is going to be $7.50/tire. Even a unicycle isn't going to have a $30 tire.

bluGill 2 days ago||

I have seen tires for small cars in the $40 range. We have already said cheap and won't last long so $10 per tire may be possible.

RunningDroid 2 days ago||

It should be noted that vehicle design impacts the design (and therefore price) of tires, e.g. the 2012 Subaru Impreza is designed for a 15-18 inch rim and a low-profile tire, so the tires cost around $175 per

ClumsyPilot 2 days ago|||

Don’t we already have bioplastics?

It appears we should be able to make appropriate compound if that were our top priority. It just sint

verisimi 2 days ago||

IMO cynical opinion, if anyone were to create a better tyre, that would save the consumer money, the company would be promptly bought and the product shelved for ever.

However, if someone invented a product that would result in the consumer needing to spend more money on 'safe' tyres or whatever, just watch the legislation and (artificial) public outcry demanding it.

jimmyswimmy 2 days ago|||

How'd that work out for SawStop? A tech that makes table saws basically safe by stopping the blade immediately on contact with water (simplified description). The inventory tried to license the tech, then tried to get regulatory agencies interested. He never had any luck. I imagine his licensing terms were too much; he ended up making his own line of saws which are substantially more expensive than the unsafe competition.

I'm sure there are tons of other examples. Outside of highly regulated areas, improving safety usually plays second fiddle to lowering price.

RankingMember 2 days ago||

There was new development in the SawStop story in 2024, their release of a key patent to the public for use by other manufacturers in preventing amputations:

https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/CORT-Statement-on-Table-Saw...

bluGill 2 days ago|||

Anyone sane would patent that tire, and then sell it for a small bit more than regular tires and take all the profit, while driving their competitors out of business because their tires are better and so worth the extra cost.