ATLANTA—Lehigh Technologies announced it won the Bloomberg New Energy Pioneer award, being recognized for its innovation in commercializing a range of Micronized Rubber Powders from end-of life tires that are used as raw materials in a wide range of industrial markets.
Lehigh said MRP can reduce feedstock costs by 30 percent or more, while delivering equivalent or improved performance and an improved sustainability profile compared to oil-based chemical inputs.
“Lehigh is at the forefront of a megatrend to develop sustainable chemical building blocks that can replace oil-derived materials at a compelling price point, without sacrificing performance,” Lehigh Technologies CEO Alan Barton said in a statement.
“The Bloomberg New Energy Pioneer award is a tribute to our world-class team of chemists and engineers who work closely with our customers to optimize how MRP is used to improve end-products. We are honored to receive this prestigious award and look forward to continuing to help our customers across the world improve their sustainability profile.”
The Bloomberg New Energy Pioneers award recognizes the top 10 companies globally that are revolutionizing the field of clean energy technology and innovation, Lehigh said. The nominees are judged based on the potential to scale the technology, the originality of the technology and business model, as well as momentum and ability to grow the company.
“Our New Energy Pioneers program seeks to recognize innovative companies that have the potential to impact the future energy landscape.” Michael Wilshire, head of analysis and new energy pioneers committee chair at Bloomberg Energy Finance, said in a statement.
“One important aspect is the extent to which industrial processes use energy efficiently and minimize the release of CO2 emissions. The judges were impressed by Lehigh's approach to this—with an innovative solution that turns waste tires into recyclable micronized rubber powder that can be incorporated into new tires, asphalt or plastics, as an alternative to incineration.”
Lehigh said its MRP has been used to manufacture more than 300 million tires.