Georgia Institute of Technology Reviews Successful Environmental Advances Made by Lehigh Technologies

ATLANTA, May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lehigh Technologies, a manufacturer of sustainable, micronized rubber powders, announced today that the Sustainable Design and Manufacturing Program (SDM) within the Manufacturing Research Center (MARC) at Georgia Institute of Technology has concluded research on the environmental profile of Lehigh's rubber powders. MARC is one of the world's foremost multidisciplinary research centers focusing on the next generation manufacturing technologies.

Per SDM's findings, every pound of micronized rubber powder used in tire manufacturing saves 0.8 gallons of oil and 10 kWh, which is enough fuel to drive a passenger car for 11 miles and enough energy to run a window air conditioning unit for 10 hours.  In addition, micronized rubber powder releases nearly half the CO2 required to manufacture synthetic rubber.

By incorporating micronized rubber powders into formulations, or participating with Lehigh in "closed-loop" manufacturing by using their own post-industrial rubber, manufacturers can participate in leading edge "green" manufacturing while better managing material costs.

"Companies who learn how to fit Lehigh's products into their existing unique formulations will definitely make environmental progress," said Professor Bert Bras, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. "Lehigh is on the cutting edge to get these formulations into the market faster. Not many companies invest like Lehigh Technologies is doing, providing real value to their customers and partners while also reducing their environmental impact." 

Lehigh Technologies' proprietary manufacturing process takes tire and other post-industrial rubber material and "upcycles" it into micron-scale, high quality, sustainable powders that are compatible with customers' existing formulations, making it easy to integrate into new or existing products.  These powders not only help companies achieve sustainability goals, but also can improve performance attributes such as water resistance, energy savings and flexibility, while delivering significant costs savings over virgin raw materials.

"Driving progress in sustainability by working with our customers' technical, marketing and operations groups is important to us," said Dr. Alan Barton, chief executive officer of Lehigh Technologies. "Having independent data on the sustainability profile of our products and processes is a key enabler for success. We appreciate the work Georgia Tech has performed – it gives us a foundation to build on as we improve all aspects of our operation and support our customers' environmental goals."  

ABOUT LEHIGH TECHNOLOGIES

Lehigh Technologies is a leading green materials manufacturer that turns end-of-life tire materials and other post-industrial rubber into sustainable powders that are used in a wide range of industrial and consumer applications. Lehigh Technologies is a World Economic Forum 2010 recipient of The Technology Pioneer Award for its visionary leadership and transformational technology. Headquartered in Tucker, GA, Lehigh Technologies is privately held and backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Index Ventures and NGP Energy Technology Partners. For more information, please visit www.lehightechnologies.com.

SOURCE Lehigh Technologies