LANXESS Launches Vulkanox 4060 as Alternative to 6PPD in Tyres
Germany-based specialty chemicals company LANXESS has launched Vulkanox 4060, a new anti-ageing additive for the tyre industry designed as an alternative to 6PPD.
6PPD is widely used in tyres to protect rubber compounds from degradation caused by oxygen and ozone. However, its transformation product, 6PPD-quinone, has come under increasing environmental scrutiny after studies linked it to acute toxicity in coho salmon. This has increased pressure on the tyre industry to find alternatives that can provide comparable protection with a better environmental profile.
Vulkanox 4060 uses CCPD, or N,N’-Dicyclohexyl-p-phenylenediamine, as its active ingredient. LANXESS says laboratory and application testing in tyre compounds and finished tyres has shown protection against oxidative ageing comparable to 6PPD. The company has developed the product with the aim of addressing environmental and regulatory concerns around conventional tyre antidegradants.
An important milestone for the new product is the completion of its EU REACH registration. This allows Vulkanox 4060 to be offered for use in the European market as tyre manufacturers face growing regulatory pressure over the environmental impact of chemicals used in tyre production.
LANXESS said initial commercial production is planned for the fourth quarter of 2026, with strong interest from customers, particularly in the US and Europe. The company sees the product as part of the industry’s wider move towards replacing 6PPD.
The launch comes as tyre manufacturers face the increasingly complex challenge of improving environmental performance without compromising durability, ozone protection and overall tyre safety.
Tyre Times’ View
The search for a replacement for 6PPD could become one of the most important chemical developments for the tyre industry in the coming years. The challenge is straightforward in principle but difficult in practice: an alternative must protect tyres against ageing and ozone while also addressing environmental concerns.
Vulkanox 4060 is significant because LANXESS is positioning CCPD as a potential replacement without requiring a fundamental change to the role of the additive in the tyre compound.
For tyre manufacturers, however, adoption will ultimately depend on more than laboratory performance. Long-term field performance, cost, availability, compatibility with existing formulations and regulatory acceptance will all matter.
If CCPD can deliver the required protection at commercial scale while offering a better environmental profile, it could help accelerate the industry’s transition towards more sustainable tyre chemistry.
