Cabot explores impact of E2C products, adds to portfolio

BOSTON—It's not just that Cabot Corp.'s Engineered Elastomer Composite (E2C) solutions are more sustainable.

Turns out, they're tougher too.

The company late last month introduced E2C DX9660 to its portfolio. The solution, Cabot said, delivers significantly increased rubber durability through high abrasion resistance. And it does so while still offering "high levels of tread wear resistance without sacrificing rolling resistance."

Targeted for use in on-road commercial tire applications—commercial retreads and tires for long-haul, regional and intercity trucks and buses—as well as protective rubber liners for industrial equipment, DX9660 can reduce abrasion by as much as 30 percent when compared to conventional compounds.

"The DX9660 complements Cabot's previously announced E2C DX9640 solution, which is designed to lower energy loss, a key driver of rolling resistance, while still delivering a high level of abrasion resistance," Cabot said.

And those increased performance properties contribute to the overall sustainability by reducing end-of-life tire waste and decreasing emissions throughout the manufacturing process.

"In a recent on-road tire test, DX9640 both lowered rolling resistance by more than 10 percent and increased tire tread durability by 12 percent compared to a conventional compound," the materials and chemicals solutions company said. "Improved rolling resistance leads to a reduction in fuel consumption of vehicle fleets, resulting in lower GHG emissions, while increased tire tread life reduces EOLT waste."

Sustainability is essential to Cabot's vision, and it's fully focused on sustainability targets that touch all facets of its operations.

"Improving our collective sustainability performance and addressing the key sustainability challenges of today's world will help us in our efforts to reduce our environmental impact and enable a more sustainable future," David Reynolds, vice president and general manager of Cabot Engineered Elastomer Composites said in a statement.

To fully understand the impact of its products—and the rubber products where its solutions find applications—Cabot conducted a comprehensive life cycle assessment, exploring the potential environmental impact of its E2C solutions across the long-haul trucking value chain.

To test its products in the LCA, Cabot explored how the E2C technology can reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to more conventional compounds. And what it found was encouraging.

Not only can E2C DX9640 help reduce emissions, its impact on the environment also is less than that of traditional compounds, Cabot said.

Among the study's key findings was that E2C solutions' lower rolling resistance can improve vehicle fuel economy and result in as much as a 6-percent reduction in GHG emissions. The assessment also found that E2C compounds can help reduce the number of ELTs and therefore net emissions from tire production by as much as 10 percent.

And all of that, Reynolds said, is proof that Cabot's commitment to sustainability is taking shape and firmly rooted.

"We are committed to providing our customers with innovative solutions to help them improve the performance of their products as well as make measurable progress toward their sustainability targets and ambitions," Reynolds said. "Furthermore, we are proud that the expansion of our E2C portfolio aligns with our own 2025 sustainability goal that 100 percent of our new products have a sustainability benefit."