Francesco Picchioni’s Revolutionary Rubber Recycling Method Earns Prestigious Ben Feringa Impact Award

Francesco Picchioni’s Revolutionary Rubber Recycling Method Earns Prestigious Ben Feringa Impact Award

(IN BRIEF) Francesco Picchioni, Professor of Chemical Technology at the University of Groningen, was awarded the Ben Feringa Impact Award for his innovative rubber recycling method, which preserves the quality of recycled rubber. His technique, which involves mechanically breaking down rubber and chemically bonding the pieces together, allows for the creation of high-quality rubber products. New Born Rubber, a start-up in Grootegast, is already using this method to recycle old tires into products like flip-flops and bicycle baskets. Picchioni’s breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize the rubber recycling industry and contribute to more sustainable production practices.

(PRESS RELEASE) GRONINGEN, 19-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Francesco Picchioni, Professor of Chemical Technology at the University of Groningen (UG), was awarded the prestigious Ben Feringa Impact Award in the category of researchers on May 13, 2025. He received this honor for his groundbreaking innovation in rubber recycling, a process that enables the reuse of rubber without compromising its quality. This pioneering method has already been adopted by the start-up New Born Rubber in Grootegast, which is utilizing the technique to manufacture products like flip-flops and bicycle baskets.

Rubber production, while essential for various industries, is a major environmental concern, contributing to deforestation, reduced biodiversity, and pollution. Used rubber, particularly from car tires, often ends up in landfills or is incinerated, exacerbating environmental damage. Recycling rubber has proven to be challenging due to the need to break sulfur bridges, chemical bonds that hold rubber strands together. This process typically weakens the rubber, resulting in low-quality recycled material.

Picchioni’s innovative approach to rubber recycling differs from conventional methods. Instead of breaking down the rubber chemically, he developed a mechanical technique that involves breaking the rubber into small pieces and then using a chemical substance to bond the pieces together. This process creates a viscous liquid that can be vulcanized again, resulting in rubber that is virtually as good as new. By applying heat and pressure, Picchioni’s method achieves strong bonds, allowing for the production of high-quality rubber products.

Francesco Picchioni (second from the left) after winning the Ben Feringa Impact Award 2025. Photo: Angelo Roga.

New Born Rubber is one of the first companies to implement Picchioni’s recycling method, converting used tires into products like trendy flip-flops and bicycle baskets. The start-up, founded with the collaboration of investors, Picchioni, and his colleagues at the UG, is already seeing success in utilizing this revolutionary technology.

According to Remko Bloembergen, one of New Born Rubber’s founders, “There is no other company in the world” capable of recycling rubber to this high standard. While the business world is still warming up to the idea of using recycled rubber, the founders are optimistic that in just a few years, it will be a common practice.

Though Picchioni doesn’t benefit financially from his invention, he is deeply satisfied with the impact it has made: “With this, I have solved an important problem, and that is what matters to me,” he said, emphasizing his commitment to finding sustainable solutions.

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SOURCE: University of Groningen