Perpetuus says graphene masterbatch cuts tyre mixing time and energy use

Perpetuus Advanced Materials says an industrial assessment in truck and bus tyre production showed its graphene nanoplatelet masterbatch can remove two mixing stages, cut mixing time by 21% and reduce electricity use by 45%. The company says the process could free capacity on existing lines and lower manufacturing costs for tyre makers.

Why it matters: - Perpetuus says the assessment points to a way for tyre makers to improve compound performance while also lowering mixing costs, energy use and factory complexity. - The company says the biggest payoff may be capacity release on existing mixing lines, which could delay new capital spending in plants where mixing is the bottleneck. - The results are especially relevant for high-volume tyre markets such as India, where manufacturers need both technical performance and a competitive cost per saleable tyre.

What happened: - Perpetuus Advanced Materials announced results from an industrial production assessment of its surface-engineered graphene nanoplatelet masterbatch in truck and bus radial tyre production. - The assessment found the masterbatch eliminated two mixing stages. - The assessment found mixing time fell by about 21%. - The assessment found electricity use across the mixing sequence dropped by about 45%, equal to about 165 kWh saved per tonne of compound. - Perpetuus is based in South Wales, United Kingdom. - The announcement was dated October 22, 2026.

The details: - Perpetuus estimates direct annual process savings of about US$240,000 on a reference line producing 10,000 tonnes of compound a year, before the cost of the masterbatch. - That estimate includes about $165,000 in electricity savings at $0.10 per kWh. - The estimate includes about $45,000 in reduced carbon black loss. - The estimate includes about $30,000 in manpower savings. - The carbon black estimate assumes 30% carbon black in the compound, 1% fly loss avoided and $1.50 per kg. - Perpetuus says the time saved could free enough mixer capacity for about 2,000 more tonnes of compound a year. - That translates to roughly 40,000 more TBR tyres a year, using 50 kg of compound per tyre. - At an illustrative value of $200 per tyre, Perpetuus says the added production value could reach up to $8 million a year. - For plants where mixing limits output, the company says the same installed assets could produce more compound or allow a company to defer additional capital expenditure. - Perpetuus says its GNP masterbatch supplies about 90% to 95% by weight of the relevant compound formulation, depending on the tyre being produced. - The formulation can include natural rubber, carbon black and graphene nanoplatelets. - The tyre maker adds the remaining ingredients, including the curing package, and completes mixing on its own line. - With carbon black already incorporated in the rubber, manufacturers can also reduce loose powder charging, fly loss, dust extraction load, cleaning and handling. - Perpetuus says the electricity savings become more valuable at higher power prices. - At $0.20 per kWh, the same reference-line saving would be worth about $330,000 a year. - Perpetuus says the relevant comparison is against the fully burdened cost of making the equivalent conventional base compound, including incorporated materials, mixing, energy, labour, yield, handling, material loss and constrained capacity. - The company says tyre performance still requires separate validation through laboratory, road and track testing.

Between the lines: - The company is trying to shift the graphene discussion from a materials story to a manufacturing economics story. - That matters because a new tyre input has to clear both performance hurdles and factory-floor cost hurdles before it can scale. - The masterbatch approach also changes the adoption pitch by moving part of the integration work upstream instead of asking plants to handle loose graphene powder on-site. - Perpetuus says the industrial assessment broadens the commercial case for graphene in tyres by adding manufacturing savings to the usual performance benefits such as wear, strength, durability, grip and rolling resistance. - John Buckland, founder and chief executive of Perpetuus Advanced Materials, said the company is aiming to make high-quality GNP technology economically rational at industrial scale. - Buckland said Perpetuus wants tyre manufacturers in India and internationally to test the masterbatch with their own compounds, equipment and operating benchmarks.

What's next: - Perpetuus says it will work with tyre manufacturers to repeat and validate the results on their own formulations and production equipment under agreed test and confidentiality protocols. - The company says manufacturers should evaluate the masterbatch against their own cost of making a conventional base compound, not against individual raw materials in isolation. - Perpetuus wants customers to judge the system on physical performance, mixing time, energy consumption, capacity release, material loss and cost per saleable tyre.

The bottom line: - Perpetuus is arguing that graphene in tyres can be a factory-efficiency play, not just a performance upgrade.