Hankook Tire & Technology has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Rotoboost, a Finnish company specializing in thermocatalytic methane decomposition, to jointly develop low-carbon carbon materials for use in tires. The agreement was formalized on 20 November at Rotoboost’s China office in Shanghai.

According to the announcement, the partnership aims to advance “turquoise hydrogen–based carbon materials,” which are produced during methane pyrolysis in high-temperature reactors. These materials are being explored as lower-CO₂ alternatives to conventional fossil-based carbon black, a key ingredient in tire compounds. Under the collaboration, the two companies will work to optimize material properties and assess performance within tire composite applications, with the goal of reducing greenhouse-gas intensity while maintaining product performance.

Hankook stated that the initiative supports its long-term strategy to achieve 2050 greenhouse gas neutrality by reducing emissions associated with raw material sourcing. The partnership includes plans to establish a life-cycle assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) framework to quantify the carbon-reduction impact of the new materials from sourcing through manufacturing.

The announcement noted that the turquoise hydrogen carbon concept has gained increased attention in the automotive and tire sectors as companies explore options for lowering the carbon footprint of reinforcement materials. Rotoboost provides a thermo-catalytic decomposition platform that produces hydrogen-rich gas and solid carbon without generating CO₂ from the methane-splitting step.

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Photo source: Hankook Tire & Technology.

Hankook has been participating in several related initiatives, including a government-funded research project on large-scale turquoise hydrogen production, and a collaboration with Solvay to develop circular silica from industrial waste sand and mine waste. The company has also incorporated pyrolysis-oil–derived carbon black into commercial tire applications through its tire-to-tire circular economy consortium, and previously commercialized chemically recycled PET tire cord materials in cooperation with industry partners.

According to Hankook, the new partnership with Rotoboost is intended to further expand its portfolio of sustainable raw materials and contribute to broader circular-economy efforts within the tire industry.

Learn more about the topic in Hankook Tire’s official press release.