The continuous efforts of Team Apollo Tyres and the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRI) resulted in the invention of a special grade of Epoxide Natural Rubber (ENR), a rubber compound for tyres, which was patented by the Government of India vide patent 287630.
Apollo Tyres and Rubber Research Institute of India Granted Patent for Special Grade ENR
The research and development team at Apollo Tyres, led by Dr Arup Kr Chandra, along with RRI, developed this special grade of Epoxide Natural Rubber. This ENR is not only capable of substituting the expensive Solution-polymerised Styrene Butadiene Rubber (S-SBR), widely used for high performance car tyres, including winter tyres, it is also said to provide a sustainable solution to the company’s future high performance tyres.
Lauding the efforts of Dr Chandra and the team involved in this innovation, Daniele Lorenzetti, Chief Technology Officer, Apollo Tyres Ltd, said: “As a company, Apollo Tyres has always been proactive in its approach towards technology, sustainability and other environmental issues. This innovation is a result of our commitment to replace synthetic materials with green and more environment friendly naturally occurring materials. I would like to congratulate the entire team involved in this, including the scientists from Rubber Research Institute of India, for this invention.”
The increased focus on R&D, which is one of the two pillars of growth for Apollo Tyres, along with the need to develop environment friendly raw materials, led to the company collaborating with Rubber Research Institute of India, to develop such a special grade material. As of now, Indian tyre manufacturers rely on the imported S-SBR, which is not only expensive, but also not environment friendly, for their high performance car tyres.
