Bridgestone is expanding its work on recovered carbon black as part of its long-term goal to manufacture products using 100% sustainable materials by 2050, combining internal research with partnerships across the tire recycling, pyrolysis and carbon black industries. Speaking during the recovered carbon black symposium at the 2026 Global Polymer Summit in Louisville, Kentucky, Bridgestone representatives highlighted both the potential of rCB from end-of-life tire pyrolysis and the technical challenges that still limit broader adoption in new tires. The tire manufacturer is working on material qualification, performance consistency, specifications and advanced processing technologies while collaborating with carbon black producers, universities, pyrolysis companies and other tire manufacturers. Bridgestone sees recovered carbon black as an important circular raw material because it can return carbon already contained in end-of-life tires to tire manufacturing, reducing dependence on virgin fossil-based carbon black and helping establish tire-to-tire material loops.

Bridgestone sees rCB as key circular tire material

Recovered carbon black is produced from the carbon-rich solid fraction generated when end-of-life tires undergo pyrolysis. Following suitable processing and quality control, the material can replace part of the virgin carbon black used as a reinforcing filler in rubber compounds.

For Bridgestone, increasing the use of rCB is one element of a broader strategy to progressively replace fossil-derived raw materials with recycled and renewable alternatives while maintaining the safety, durability and performance required from tires.

Material consistency remains major challenge

One of the central challenges is that recovered carbon black is fundamentally different from conventional virgin carbon black. End-of-life tires contain multiple carbon black grades together with silica, zinc compounds, rubber residues and other materials, all of which can influence the properties of the recovered product after pyrolysis.

For tire manufacturers, variation in composition, particle characteristics and processing behavior can make qualification more difficult. Bridgestone is therefore evaluating rCB not only by chemical and physical specifications but also by how consistently it performs in actual rubber compounds and manufacturing processes.

Industry collaboration needed to increase rCB use

Bridgestone representatives emphasized that greater use of recovered carbon black cannot be achieved by tire manufacturers alone. Commercial expansion requires cooperation between tire companies, pyrolysis operators, rCB producers, carbon black manufacturers, equipment suppliers, researchers and standardization organizations.

Consistent terminology, testing procedures, material specifications and quality expectations are particularly important as the recovered carbon black market moves from relatively small qualification volumes toward larger industrial supply chains.

Bridgestone and Michelin developed rCB guidelines

Bridgestone has previously worked with Michelin to develop guidelines aimed at improving understanding and standardization of recovered carbon black. The companies published their Recovered Carbon Black Guidelines after working with producers and other stakeholders across the value chain.

The initiative addressed definitions, material characteristics, specifications, quality expectations and regulatory considerations. Establishing a common framework is intended to make it easier for tire manufacturers and rCB suppliers to communicate technical requirements and accelerate qualification.

Bridgestone pursues advanced rCB upgrading with Tokai Carbon

Bridgestone is also participating in a technology development project with Tokai Carbon, Kyushu University and Okayama University to improve recovered carbon black produced from end-of-life tires and other rubber-containing polymer products.

The project aims to remove impurities and upgrade rCB into what the partners call eco Carbon Black, or eCB, with reinforcing properties approaching those of virgin carbon black. The consortium ultimately aims to establish a demonstration facility capable of producing 5,000 tonnes of eCB annually by fiscal 2032.

Precise tire pyrolysis development continues in Japan

Bridgestone is separately developing precise pyrolysis technology for end-of-life tires. Test operations at Bridgestone Innovation Park in Kodaira, Tokyo, have been used to produce both tire-derived oil and recovered carbon black while developing process control and material quality knowledge.

The company is working toward larger-scale verification and continuous operation, with the objective of creating recycling routes capable of returning both carbon and hydrocarbon resources from used tires to new tire production.

Tire-derived oil offers second circular pathway

Recovered carbon black is only one of the valuable products generated through tire pyrolysis. Tire-derived oil can also be refined and used as a circular feedstock for production of chemicals and materials, including components used to manufacture synthetic rubber and carbon black.

Combining these pathways could allow a larger share of the materials contained in end-of-life tires to return to the tire industry instead of being consumed through energy recovery or directed into lower-value applications.

Bridgestone targets 100% sustainable materials by 2050

The company’s long-term environmental vision calls for products made from 100% sustainable materials by 2050 and beyond. Recycled materials such as recovered carbon black form part of this strategy alongside renewable raw materials, retreading and other resource-efficiency measures.

Bridgestone has already introduced tires containing certified recycled and renewable materials, but moving toward full circularity will require much larger and more consistent supplies of qualified secondary raw materials.

Commercial scale remains critical for tire pyrolysis industry

While numerous technologies can produce recovered carbon black at laboratory, pilot or smaller commercial scale, tire manufacturers require reliable industrial volumes with consistent specifications. Scaling production without losing quality remains one of the most important challenges for the tire pyrolysis and rCB industries.

Reliable feedstock, controlled pyrolysis conditions, effective post-processing, quality assurance and stable logistics will all influence whether recovered carbon black can move into increasingly demanding tire applications.

Global Polymer Summit highlights transition toward commercial adoption

The dedicated recovered carbon black symposium at the 2026 Global Polymer Summit brought together tire manufacturers, pyrolysis technology companies, rCB producers, carbon black specialists, researchers and equipment suppliers to discuss the technical and commercial development of the market.

Bridgestone’s participation reflects the growing importance of rCB within tire industry sustainability strategies. The focus is increasingly moving from demonstrating that recovered carbon black can be produced toward ensuring that it can be supplied consistently, economically and at the scale required for widespread tire manufacturing.

Tire-to-tire recycling remains long-term objective

For Bridgestone, the broader objective is to create material loops in which end-of-life tires become sources of raw materials for new tires. Recovered carbon black, tire-derived oil and other recycling technologies could help retain more of the carbon and material value already embedded in tires.

Achieving that goal will depend on continued improvements in tire pyrolysis, recovered carbon black upgrading, product standardization and industrial-scale supply. Bridgestone’s combination of internal research and external partnerships is intended to accelerate that transition while ensuring that circular materials meet the performance requirements of modern tires.

Original report by Rubber News.