Javier Alejandro Araujo Morera

postdoctoral researcher/manager

Dr Javier Araujo is a postdoctoral researcher and the manager of the Elastomer Competence Center (ECC) within the elastomer technology and engineering group at the University of Twente. He is a materials engineer from Simon Bolivar University in Venezuela and holds a highly specialized MSc in plastics and rubber and a PhD in rubber science and technology from the Institute of Polymer Science and Technology in Spain.

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Presentation

Exploring bio-based resins as sustainable plasticizers in tire tread compounds

The automotive industry is in constant development, with a special focus on increasing the sustainability of tires while maintaining their performance. One of the most used approaches to reach this goal is the use of bio-based raw materials. This study explores replacing traditional plasticizers in tire tread compounds with bio-based resins to improve sustainability. Four bio-based resins were tested in a silica-filled SBR/BR compound, showing similar or improved mechanical properties, higher cross-link density, better dispersion and enhanced wet grip, but a slightly reduced abrasion resistance and increase in the rolling resistance compared to a TDAE-based compound.