Vecor Technologies Featured in Rubber News
This blog recap was prepared by Vecor Technologies.
The full technical article, published in Rubber News, was authored by Christopher Robertson, Bryan Geary, and Ryon Lasiter.
Vecor Technologies Featured in Rubber News for Advancing Sustainable Tire Materials
We are thrilled to share that Vecor Technologies has been featured in the September 29, 2025 issue of Rubber News, a leading publication in the global rubber and tire industry. The article, “Performance of recycled aluminosilicate filler in a passenger tire tread compound,” highlights our latest research on VC-R, a reinforcing filler designed to replace traditional silica in tire tread compounds.
This recognition reflects our commitment to building next-generation materials that meet the highest performance standards while advancing the tire industry’s ambitious sustainability goals.
The Challenge: Sustainable Alternatives for Tire Fillers
As tire manufacturers worldwide pursue aggressive carbon-reduction targets, attention is turning toward one of the most critical materials in tire production: reinforcing fillers.
Carbon black and precipitated silica make up nearly 25% of the weight of a tire.
Replacing these with sustainable alternatives has become a top priority for manufacturers and innovators.
Current options, such as silica from rice husk ash, are promising but limited — underscoring the need for diverse, scalable solutions
This is where Vecor’s VC-R filler comes in.
Introducing VC-R: Turning Waste into Performance
VC-R is a reinforcing filler engineered from 70% recycled waste-stream aluminosilicate, upgraded with proprietary processing steps to meet the demands of high-performance applications like passenger car tire treads.
Vecor’s team, led by Bryan Geary, Ryon Lasiter, and industry partner, Christopher Robertson of Polymer Technology Services L.L.C., collaborated to evaluate how VC-R performs when replacing silica in tread compounds. The results, now published in Rubber News, are highly encouraging.
Key Findings from the Rubber News Feature
The study tested three developmental versions of VC-R (VC-R0, VC-R1, VC-R2) as a 30% replacement for precipitated silica in passenger car radial (PCR) tire tread compounds.
Performance Highlights:
Tensile strength & wear resistance: VC-R1 and VC-R2 delivered performance on par with silica-filled compounds.
Rolling resistance: An improved predictor was observed (lower tanδ at 60°C), pointing to better fuel economy potential.
Wet traction: Maintained performance equivalent to control compounds.
Processing: Reduced viscosity and improved mixing behavior, translating into easier extrusion for tread manufacturing.
Filler networking: VC-R significantly reduced the Payne Effect, improving polymer-filler interactions and minimizing common silica-related challenges.
Among the variants, VC-R1 emerged as the most optimized candidate due to its sub-micron particle size, 70% recycled content, and balance of strength, wear resistance, and sustainability.
Why This Matters for the Tire Industry
Achieving suitable wear resistance and durability has been a long-standing challenge for alternative fillers. The results of this study demonstrate that VC-R can:
Reduce reliance on conventional silica without compromising performance.
Offer comparable wear patterns and durability in advanced Lambourn-type wear tests.
Deliver predictive improvements in rolling resistance, directly supporting OEMs and tire makers in meeting fuel economy and sustainability targets.
This positions VC-R as a scalable, circular solution that aligns with the tire industry’s roadmap toward greener, high-performance products.
What’s Next
Following this research, VC-R has already been produced at larger scale (10 kg batches) and is currently undergoing evaluation by a major global tire manufacturer.
This milestone reflects Vecor Technologies’ ability to move from lab validation ➝ scale-up ➝ commercialization, helping our partners integrate sustainable materials without sacrificing technical requirements.
Read the Full Article
Click below to read the full technical article in Rubber News, download a copy, or for more details on VC-R and Vecor’s portfolio of sustainable ceramic fillers.
