r0-meta: High-Performance Recycled Metakaolin for Lightweight Friction Materials

r0-meta is a high-performance recycled metakaolin, an amorphous aluminosilicate obtained by upcycling industrial kaolin by-products. Its main function is to act as a lightweight functional filler that significantly reduces wear and particle emissions, especially at low temperatures, serving as a direct and sustainable substitute for mild abrasives like zirconium silicate.

r0-meta promotes the formation of a stable and less abrasive tribofilm at the rotor-pad interface. Unlike traditional abrasives, its morphology and chemistry help protect the friction surface, resulting in a lower material wear rate. This reduction in wear directly translates into lower particle emissions into the environment, a key factor for complying with new Euro 7 emissions regulations.

r0-meta offers superior wear performance at a competitive cost. In comparative tests, it has demonstrated a 13% reduction in wear rate at 150°C (urban driving conditions) compared to zirconium silicate. Furthermore, being a lower-density product, it contributes to reducing the pad's weight, helping manufacturers meet their lightweighting targets.

Thanks to its aluminosilicate nature, r0-meta possesses excellent thermal stability. This property helps preserve the integrity of the phenolic resin at high temperatures, which translates into greater fade resistance and a stable, predictable coefficient of friction over a wide temperature range, ensuring that stopping power and safety are not compromised.

r0-meta is a pillar of the circular economy. By transforming an industrial by-product into a high-value additive, it reduces the mining and processing of virgin raw materials. Its carbon footprint is very low (GWP of 0.17 kg CO2e), providing an effective solution for friction material manufacturers to lower the environmental impact of their products and meet the sector's ambitious decarbonization goals.