News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Russian authorities reported elevated levels of carcinogenic substances in several Chinese-made tires, triggering increased regulatory attention on imported rubber products and prompting changes to Russia’s environmental tax framework tied to tire chemical composition.

The Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) has officially launched the LOOP THE TIRE 2026 startup competition, calling on innovators across Europe to rethink tires, close material loops, and help shape a sustainable future for the tire and tire recycling industry. Applications are now open, with a deadline of May 15, 2026.

Effective 1 January 2026, TOSHNIWAL Brothers (SR) Pvt. Ltd. became HITEC’s exclusive sales and service partner in India for its carbon black testing equipment range. This partnership marks a significant step in HITEC’s strategy to strengthen its leadership in the dynamic Indian market. TOSHNIWAL Brothers, headquartered in Bangalore, has a 75-year legacy of instrumentation sales and service excellence across key industrial sectors that align closely with HITEC’s portfolio, including carbon black manufacturing, Tires & Rubber, and the emerging Battery market.

The free-to-attend exhibition will feature hundreds of specialist suppliers showcasing the latest developments in materials, processing technology, testing and smart manufacturing. Exhibitors represent every stage of modern tire production, including sustainability and circular economy solutions, advanced compound and reinforcement materials, process machinery and automation, and quality control and digital factory systems. With this breadth of technologies under one roof, Tire Technology Expo provides tire OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and technical decision-makers with a unique opportunity to evaluate solutions, compare suppliers and engage directly with technology leaders shaping the future of tire manufacturing. Register here for a FREE visitor pass.

Circtec has completed construction of Phase 1 of its end-of-life tyre pyrolysis recycling facility at Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The plant is now in operation and recycling fifty thousand tonnes of waste tyres per year into high-quality circular products. The plant was formally opened by King Willem-Alexander in a ceremony in which the King commenced operations by feeding waste tyres into the recycling process himself. The ceremony was also attended by the Netherlands Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Climate and Green Growth and the British Ambassador to The Netherlands.

The achievement reflects continued progress at Ecolomondo’s Hawkesbury TDP facility, which is built using the Company’s proprietary Thermal Decomposition Technology (“TDP”). During the week, the facility successfully processed five double batches, each consisting of approximately 15,000 pounds of rubber crumb, for a total of 150,000 pounds processed. This production resulted in the generation of approximately 60,000 pounds of recovered carbon black and 75,000 pounds of tire-derived oil, along with approximately 15,000 lbs in syngas used as part of the process. In total, approximately 9,375 scrap tires were recycled during the week.

Research underway in Australia is examining whether crumb rubber made from end-of-life tires could play a larger role in building roads that are better suited to extreme climate conditions. ABC News recently reported on a study led by Charles Darwin University (CDU) that is testing how tire-derived crumb rubber performs in asphalt under Northern Territory conditions. Roads in the region are exposed to intense heat, high ultraviolet radiation, and heavy wet-season rainfall, all of which can accelerate cracking, deformation, and pothole formation.

Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) reports that Australia’s mining sector is beginning to play a more active role in advancing tire recycling initiatives, addressing one of the most complex challenges in the circular economy: the management of massive off-the-road (OTR) mining tires at end of life. TSA has highlighted Rio Tinto’s recent tire recycling trial as a strong example of how innovation and commitment can unlock new solutions for mining tires, which are notoriously difficult to process due to their size, steel content, and remote operating locations.

Serbia took a significant step toward sustainable tire recycling and circular economy practices with the establishment of its first bilateral ecosystem dedicated to implementing the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model in the tire sector. The initiative was formalized at the Future-Proof Industry: Innovation, Partnerships and Sustainable Growth conference, held at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS). During the event, representatives of Confindustria Serbia, Italian sustainability company Innovando, and PKS signed a Memorandum of Understanding, marking the official launch of the Serbian–Italian EPR ecosystem for tires.