Tire Process Receives Patent

Danielle Jackson

Aiken, S.C. — Westinghouse Savannah River Co.’s (WSRC) BioWave process has received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The process treats crumb rubber with a two-stage method — first, it combines microbial oxidation and microwave energy, then it mixes the resulting crumb rubber with new rubber to create tires containing 20 percent or more recycled rubber.

The process was tested on 40 mesh truck tread crumb rubber.

WSRC currently is seeking companies interested in licensing the process for commercial use. For more information, contact Ginny Wolfe at WSRC. Phone toll-free: (800) 228-3843. E-mail: [email protected].