News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced that it has produced a run of demonstration tires made with 75% recycled and renewable materials, including synthetic rubber made with recycled plastics and natural rubber harvested from desert shrubs grown domestically, in the Arizona desert. The company has completed production of 200 demonstration tires and is pursuing joint evaluation with automakers for use on the next generation of electrified SUVs and crossovers (CUVs). The company’s relentless commitment to its goal of using 100% sustainable materials in its products by 2050 was underscored in remarks by Bridgestone Global CEO, Shuichi Ishibashi, during a February 16 briefing with media and industry analysts in Tokyo where Bridgestone also announced that it is pursuing a tire design utilizing 90% recycled and renewable materials for passenger cars.

Ecore International – a converter of reclaimed tire rubber in North America – has announced the acquisition of 360 Tire Recycling Group, a tire recycling management company. This strategic partnership enhances Ecore's position in the collecting of tires and buffings while assisting in the sourcing of raw materials for the business's cutting-edge flooring and surfacing solutions. Additionally, it positions Ecore and 360 Tire Recycling Group as pioneers in the global transition to a circular rubber economy. “360 Tire’s commitment to providing an environmentally responsible, one-stop recycling effort for its customers aligns perfectly with Ecore’s vision of a planet free of rubber waste,” said Art Dodge, CEO of Ecore.

The use of Recovered carbon black from end-of-life tires and plastic pyrolysis has caused fluctuations in price and demand in the Masterbatch market. From the beginning of 2023, the Masterbatch market in Asia, especially in India and China, has experienced fluctuating pricing trends from the beginning of 2023. Due to decreasing demand from downstream industries like electronics, packaging, and rubber, the pricing trend for Masterbatch in the local Indian market has been bearish. Black Masterbatch (40% carbon black) cost $1977 per ton in India in January 2023 but fell to $1770 per ton in February 2023, a 10.5% decrease. Due to declining naphtha and coal prices in the domestic Indian market, prices decreased further by 6.9% to $1648 per ton in March 2023.

REVYRE Global Ltd New Zealand and XTYRE Global Pty Ltd, South Africa, have formed a license agreement in order to produce rubber molded products made from recycled end-of-life tires in Oceania. The New Zealand-based company REVYRE works to identify and invest in cutting-edge sustainable technologies that have a sound positive impact on the environment. In order to develop rubber crumb upcycling processing plants using proprietary technologies in specific territories, REVYRE is currently finalizing a number of exclusive license agreements. Functionally modified polymers for bitumen and the reprocessing of crumb rubber for molded products are REVYRE's two primary manufacturing focus areas.

Tyre Recycling Podcast interviews key players from the tyre recycling and pyrolysis industry from around the world. Make sure to subscribe for Tyre & Rubber Recycling magazine to receive updates about its interviews! Episode 46 of the Tyre Recycling podcast features an interview with Thomas Sörensson, the CEO of Scandinavian Enviro Systems. Following the news of their joint venture with Antin, Thomas joined the Tyre Recycling Podcast to dive deep into the details of the announcement and to discuss their future plans across Europe.

According to Muscat Daily magazine, to support the circular economy, the Muscat and Oman Environment Authority (EA) has suspended issuing licenses for the export of end-of-life tires. Dr. Mohammad Majid al Kasbi, Director of the Department of Chemical Materials at the EA, revealed to Muscat Daily that the authority has halted issuing licenses for exporting scrap tires from both large and small vehicles beginning on April 9 for a six-month term that may be extended.

Mars Mineral, a global provider of pelletizing technology equipment, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with South Korean-based LD Carbon to develop and install Mars’ pin mixer technology at LD Carbon’s newest pyrolysis and recovered carbon black (rCB) facility, which will be the largest of its kind in Asia. LD Carbon is a material industry company that supplies its Green Carbon Black, an eco-friendly rCB made from waste tires that have been pyrolyzed, refined, and processed for reuse by tire and rubber manufacturers. LD Carbon also reclaims pyrolysis oil from the process that is used for replacing crude oil and raw material of petrochemical products.

Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum), a pioneer in the sustainable recycling of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) based on its patented pyrolysis technology, has achieved 72 out of 100 points in imug's ESG rating. The company's overall sustainability performance is therefore rated as "very good". The rating by imug, one of the leading sustainability rating agencies in Germany and a specialist in environmental, social and governance (ESG) research, was carried out in the first quarter of 2023 and is based on several areas of investigation. Pyrum scored particularly well in the area of "products and services", where the company received full marks. Here, imug analysed Pyrum's business model and assessed how the company's products and services make a positive contribution to environmental or social development.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced the funding of more than $2 million in grants to develop new markets for end-of-life vehicle tires. When illegal dumping in the environment occurs, scrap tires pose both a fire hazard and a human health risk as a mosquito breeding ground. These end-of-life tire grants support building sustainable markets for recycled tire materials in Michigan. Grants have traditionally included support for essential equipment and materials that aid in the establishment of new markets, including various manufacturing processes, implementation and testing of paving materials, energy generation, and other innovative approaches.