Knoxville, Tennessee-based startup Carbon Rivers said adding graphene

 

Knoxville, Tennessee-based startup Carbon Rivers said adding graphene nanoflakes to tires in lieu of 6PPD chemicals would reduce emissions by 28%.  "We've had some initial conversations with tire-makers. We would like to see this in commercial testing," said David Morgan, the company's chief strategy officer. On the other hand, tire manufacturer Pirelli stated that "at the moment, there is no evidence that a graphene material could be a viable alternative to 6PPD in tires; thus, a timeline of 2025 for its industrial application does not seem realistic." Michelin added there is no data to support graphene as an alternative, while Mark Bissett, reader at the National Graphene Institute of the University of Manchester, said, "As with all nanomaterials, there are some unknowns which require further study to verify its safety, but from the studies done so far the consensus is that graphene is safe." A research study by the University of Washington, Tacoma, found that 6PPD chemicals were responsible for the mass deaths of Coho salmon off the U.S. Pacific coast.