Company develops a substitute for petroleum derivatives using tree residues. Product is made in partnership between Vipal Borrachas, Greenway and Suzano Papel e Celulose.
Much of the natural smell of eucalyptus trees is generated by the wood component called lignin, which is a kind of natural glue, which helps the tree stay upright. At pulp industry, however, lignin is a residue, which will now be a great substitute derived from petroleum through tree residues.
Understand how the oil derivative substitute with tree waste was produced
A lignin will become raw material in a development that brought together the Rio Grande do Sul company Vipal Borrachas, from Nova Prata, the Suzano group, a giant in the production of pulp and paper, and Greenway, the sustainable business division of CYA, a distributor of chemical products in Brazil.
Lignin is considered a natural aromatic, however this is not linked to the smell of eucalyptus. In chemistry, it is a raw material that has a benzene ring. Normally, those that are used in industry are derived from petroleum. In this way, what Vipal did with Suzano's raw material and tech from Greenway, was to generate a fully sustainable oil-derived substitute from tree waste.
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In addition to approving the raw material, Vipal has a relationship with the origin of this project since in 2017, the company entered into a partnership with Suzano and the University of Caxias do Sul (UCS) and began studies on the behavior of lignin as an antioxidant, to seek sustainable ways to replace fossil sources.
From these studies, the solution that is now being used by the company emerged. According to Vipal's products and processes engineering manager, Rodemir Conte, the ability to prevent or delay oxidation processes showed, during the analyses, that lignin could be used as an antioxidant from a natural source for rubber.
Companies pronounce on partnership
According to Conte, as it has participated in the development of a petroleum derivative substitute since the beginning of the studies, which were carried out 6 years ago, the company was able to monitor the evolution of the work, which allowed a safe evaluation of the protective function of lignin in rubber compounds for the generation of products for tire retreads.
Vipal uses Greenlig FR in the manufacture of camelback, a compound for interior finishing, and treads in its factories located in Nova Prata and Feira de Santana (BA).
According to the co-founder of Greenway, industrial chemist Henrique Brito, in addition to contributing to the sustainability of Vipal products, innovation with tree residues contributes to the performance of the final product, as it performs similarly to imported antioxidants and those of petrochemical origin. Because it has national manufacturing and local stock, the initiative also contributes to logistical operations.
The New Business Manager at Suzano, Ananda Sá Dias, lignin belongs to the family of bioproducts developed by Suzano and is an innovative solution as it is an alternative to inputs of fossil origin in high-performance industrial uses, such as Vipal. Ananda points out that the product can be used as a natural antioxidant in other uses, such as in conveyor belts, hoses, rubber soles and other rubber artifacts.
About Vipal Rubber
Founded in the 70s, in Nova Prata, Vipal Borrachas is one of the companies with the greatest production capacity in the world in the tire retread sector. The company is a leader in Brazil and Latin America, with more than 250 authorized reformers, with more than 200 in Brazil.
The company has become a specialist in the rubber industry, being the only one with a full line of retreads and repairs for all types of tyres. In addition, it provides products for industry, motorcycle tires and inner tubes, in addition to producing machines for tire retreads.