The new CCPD-based anti-aging agent is designed to deliver comparable tyre protection while offering an improved environmental profile.
LANXESS has launched Vulkanox 4060, a new anti-aging agent for the tyre industry developed as an alternative to 6PPD. The product contains CCPD (N,N’-Dicyclohexyl-p-phenylenediamine) and is designed to provide comparable technical protection while addressing growing environmental and regulatory concerns surrounding conventional tyre additives.
6PPD is widely used in tyres to protect rubber compounds from damage caused by oxygen and ozone. However, its transformation product, 6PPD-quinone, has attracted environmental concern because of its acute toxicity to coho salmon. LANXESS says environmental studies of CCPD-quinone, the corresponding transformation product of Vulkanox 4060, have shown no observed acute effects in coho salmon testing up to the solubility limit.
According to LANXESS, extensive laboratory and customer testing has demonstrated that CCPD can match the technical performance of 6PPD in tyre applications. Vulkanox 4060 is intended to protect rubber against oxidative ageing, ozone attack and cracking caused by flexing and mechanical stress.
The company has developed the product according to its “Safe and Sustainable by Design” approach, considering factors including degradability, bioaccumulation, aquatic toxicity and regulatory compliance during development. LANXESS says the objective is to provide tyre manufacturers with a solution that can help them prepare for increasingly stringent environmental requirements.
The launch follows the completion of EU REACH registration under Annex VII, allowing Vulkanox 4060 to be offered for use in the European market. LANXESS has also indicated that the product has an active TSCA registration in the United States and is targeting broader global registration.
LANXESS plans to begin initial commercial production of Vulkanox 4060 in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company says it has received strong interest from customers, particularly in the United States and Europe, where regulatory developments are increasing attention on alternatives to 6PPD.
The development of Vulkanox 4060 adds to the growing industry effort to find alternatives to 6PPD while maintaining the performance and durability required from modern tyres. With regulatory approvals progressing and commercial production approaching, the new additive could become an important option for tyre manufacturers seeking to improve the environmental profile of their rubber formulations.