University of Minnesota researchers develop bio-based tires

In Minnesota, a team of researchers led by the University of Minnesota has invented a new technology to produce automobile tires from trees and grasses in a process that could shift the tire production industry toward using renewable resources found right in our backyards.

The car tires produced from biomass that includes trees and grasses would be identical to existing car tires with the same chemical makeup, color, shape, and performance. The technology has been patented by the University of Minnesota and is available for licensing through the University of Minnesota Office of Technology Commercialization.