News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Episode 52 of the Tyre Recycling Podcast features Susanne Madelung, an expert from PVP Triptis, to dive into an important topic: the necessity of migration risk assessment in replacing precautionary risk assessment. Speakers explore this subject area along with the appropriate test methods, lobbying and the forthcoming impact on the crumb rubber infill ban.

Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum), a company that recycles scrap tires sustainably with its globally patented, unique pyrolysis technology, and SUEZ recycling and recovery UK Ltd (SUEZ) have entered into a one-year exclusivity agreement to build Pyrum's first pyrolysis plant in the UK. Under the terms of the agreement, the utility, which is active in water and waste management, will determine the site for the first plant over the next 12 months and, with support from Pyrum, will begin the permitting process. SUEZ bears the costs for the approval process. The planned plant is to be equipped with three pyrolysis reactors and thus have a recycling capacity of around 20,000 tons of end-of-life tires per year. After successful approval, the first plant is to be built.

Scandinavian Enviro Systems AB (Enviro) is once again nominated at the Recircle Awards, this year in the Tyre Pyrolysis Award category. In addition, CEO Thomas Sörensson is nominated for the Best Company Director award. Enviro has previously won the Tyre Pyrolysis Award twice and Best Tyre Recycler last year. "Enviro is making international progress and our technology is constantly being recognized, it is a great honor to be nominated together with other important sustainability players. Awards like this further highlight the importance of circular solutions for tire recycling," says Thomas Sörensson, CEO of Enviro.

Continental has introduced its most sustainable tire yet, the UltraContact NXT, which combines a high proportion of renewable, recycled, and certified materials with excellent safety and performance. According to Continental, it is the first tire on the market to achieve both a high share of sustainable materials and the highest EU tire-label performance. All 19 available sizes of the UltraContact NXT have received the highest rating ("A") in rolling resistance, wet braking, and exterior noise on the EU tire label. The UltraContact NXT contains up to 65% renewable, recycled, and mass balance certified materials, depending on the tire size. Renewable materials make up to 32% of the tire, including resins derived from residual materials from the paper and wood industries, as well as silica extracted from rice husks.

The Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) announced its new Board of Directors following its Annual General Meeting of members held on June 14, 2023. At that meeting, the members elected Lawrence Kumar of Yokohama Tire (Canada) as a new Director. Based in Langley, B.C., Mr. Kumar has over two decades of experience in the tire industry and is currently the Controller at Yokohama Tire (Canada). “We welcome Lawrence to the TRAC Board. His business experience and knowledge are sure to be of great value to TRAC in the coming years,” says Paul Downey, President and CEO of Pliteq, and TRAC Chair of the Board.

The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) – Canadian end-of-life tire management authority – has recently posted the 2022 Annual Report. In 2022 RPRA focused on scaling up its producer responsibility programs, developing registry portals, and launching new compliance and digital reporting programs, all of which are central to RPRA’s mandate. 2022 was the fourth year of operations for the Tires Program under Ontario’s producer responsibility regulatory framework outlined in the Tires Regulation.

The Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) has recognized outstanding individuals and businesses for their dedication and commitment to excellence in the tire and rubber industry including end-of-life (ELT) tire management and other businesses focused on sustainability. The Awards Ceremony took place following the Association’s Annual General Meeting on June 14, 2023, at the Alt Hotel Toronto Airport in Mississauga. The 2023 Industry Leadership Awards recognized leadership in the following categories: Leader of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Sustainability, and Young Leader.

Bridgestone Corporation recently announced that it has commenced the production of tire derived oil and recovered carbon black through pyrolysis of used tires using test units installed at Bridgestone Innovation Park in Kodaira City, Tokyo. This initiative is aimed at promoting the social implementation of chemical recycling technologies that enable precise pyrolysis of used tires. The scope of this initiative is indicated by the red frame in the chemical recycling diagram below. This project is one of two R&D projects that are part of an initiative for developing chemical product manufacturing technologies utilizing used tires promoted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan

Contec S.A. – a company that specializes in producing sustainable raw materials by upcycling end-of-life tires – has successfully secured a total of EUR 15 million in funding this year. The largest Polish manufacturer of steel roofing and facades – Pruszyński – has contributed an additional EUR 5 million to the funds already provided by VINCI and the Warsaw Equity Group. These two entities had initially invested EUR 10 million in Contec back in March 2023. The investment will be used to triple the capacity of Contec’s current facility in Szczecin, Poland, and to position the company for the construction of several new commercial plants across Europe. This will support Contec's mission to accelerate the transformation of the manufacturing industry toward carbon neutrality.