South African tyre recycler Mathe Group has made a significant investment to upgrade how steel is recovered from end-of-life truck tyres, transforming what was once a low-value by-product into a premium export material. The company has commissioned new processing equipment that will allow it to extract and package hundreds of tonnes of clean steel each month for international markets, strengthening the economics of large-scale tyre recycling.

Radial truck tyres contain a substantial amount of steel—around 30% by weight—which must be removed before the remaining rubber can be processed into crumb or other recycled rubber products. Historically, this steel was treated as a necessary waste stream rather than a revenue generator. Mathe Group’s new system changes that dynamic by enabling the recovery of intact, low-contamination steel that meets higher market specifications.

According to CEO Dr Mehran Zarrebini, the investment includes a dedicated clean steel mill, automated packaging infrastructure and a new generation of de-beading machines. Together, these upgrades allow the company to remove tyre beads without damaging their structure, preserving the geometry of the steel and eliminating residual rubber contamination that previously limited its value.

Traditional de-beading methods, which Mathe Group adopted after relocating to Hammarsdale in 2017, relied on hook-based systems that distorted the steel rings embedded in tyre sidewalls. While effective for rubber recovery, this approach made the steel difficult to package and unsuitable for higher-end applications. The new equipment removes the entire bead cleanly and intact, producing steel that can be used directly in industrial applications such as blasting media, replacing virgin steel.

The improved recovery process delivers multiple benefits. Clean steel from recycled tyres can achieve prices up to three times higher than conventional scrap, while the more precise separation also increases overall rubber recovery per tyre. Dr Zarrebini estimates that the redesign adds a further 8% of rubber crumb output, improving material efficiency across the plant.

Two of the new de-beaders are already in operation, with a third scheduled for installation. The upgraded machines replace oil-driven systems that were expensive to maintain and energy intensive, helping to lower operating costs and emissions. Once fully operational, the steel cleaning line will reduce rubber contamination levels from approximately 10% to below 2%, a threshold that significantly improves market acceptance.

At present, steel recovered from tyres in South Africa is not sold domestically. Previously, Mathe Group exported its steel to India for cleaning before onward shipment to South Korea, where it is used in sectors such as shipbuilding and automotive manufacturing. By bringing the cleaning process in-house, the company shortens the supply chain and captures additional value from each tonne of recycled material.

The upgraded facility is expected to ship around 108 tonnes of clean steel per week—equivalent to at least four export containers—from Hammarsdale to the Port of Durban. Because the steel requires no further processing on arrival, it commands a premium price in international markets, reinforcing the business case for advanced material recovery in tyre recycling.

Mathe Group processed its millionth radial truck tyre last year and expanded capacity further in 2025, positioning itself as a benchmark for South Africa’s evolving tyre recycling framework. The steel recovery project forms part of a broader redesign of the production process, demonstrating how end-of-life tyre recycling can support circular economy goals while creating new revenue streams and employment opportunities.

The full steel extraction and cleaning system is scheduled to be fully operational by January 2026, marking another step in the industrialisation of high-value materials recovery from waste tyres.

Article source: Auto Forum South Africa.