News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

The Recycled Rubber Coalition in Washington unveiled a white paper "An Unexpected Electric Vehicle Environmental Problem With Common Sense Solutions". It examines how the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) will lead to a surge in scrap tires and proposes practical recycling solutions. Comprising organizations and companies in rubber recycling, the coalition stresses the urgent need for effective government policies to support the expansion of recycled rubber markets.

The municipal council of Perl-Besch on the Mosel in Saarland has approved the development plan for the site of the new plant of Pyrum Innovations AG by a large majority. This means that the company has created the necessary prerequisites and can immediately start detailed planning. As a further step towards expanding its own production capacities, Pyrum plans to build a new pyrolysis plant in Perl-Besch by the end of 2025, modelled on the facility at the main plant in Dillingen/Saar with a capacity of 20,000 tons of end-of-life tires per year.

The rubber recycling industry is undergoing significant changes due to environmental concerns and technological advancements. As John Sheerin, senior director end-of-life tire programs at the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), explained, in 2024 USTMA will begin preparation of their 2023 U.S. Scrap Tire Management Report, which will provide additional important insights and update the findings from the organization’s 2021 report.

Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum), a pioneer in the sustainable recycling of end-of-life tyres (ELT) based on its patented pyrolysis technology, reports initial successes in the commissioning of the new reactor 2 (TAD 2) at its main plant in Dillingen/Saar. Since the start of the second test run on Tuesday, 30 January 2024, the throughput of the new reactor has already been gradually increased to 75% of the expected output for future series production within a week. This means that industrial quantities of ELT can already be processed in TAD 2 and Pyrum’s technology has provided proof of concept for the planned large-scale rollout. More than 30,000 litres of oil have already been produced and are now being sampled in the laboratory before being delivered to BASF within the next two weeks as planned.

As per the latest press release by Nokian Tyres, the company has made a long-term purchase agreement with a tire recycling joint venture. The agreement will help Nokian Tyres reach one of its key sustainability targets, which is to increase the share of recycled and renewable raw materials in tires to 50% by 2030. Nokian Tyres started to use recovered carbon black in a commercial product line in 2022. The long-term purchase agreement with a tire recycling joint venture enables its increased utilization in tires accelerating circularity and sustainability in the tire industry.

With the support of international organisations in tyre recycling, Swedish Tyre Recycling (SDAB) has implemented the End-of-Life Tyre Research Portal (ELTRP), the world’s first research portal for recycled tyre rubber. Recycled tyre rubber is a thoroughly researched material, and the new research portal fulfils a need by collecting scientific facts about the material in an accessible and efficient manner. Recycled tyre rubber is a material surrounded by perceptions and questions regarding its content and utility. This is an issue that the industry, in general, and Swedish Tyre Recycling specifically, consistently address. The End-of-Life Tyre Research Portal (ELTRP) is a vital tool in addressing the knowledge demand concerning the material.

In Vienna, Austria across the 13-15 May 2024 the Carbon Black World conference, promises to be an exceptional gathering of industry leaders, innovators and experts, all converging to explore the latest advancements and breakthroughs in the dynamic realm of carbon black. Organised by Smithers, this eagerly anticipated event is proud to announce the 2024 full agenda. With presentations from Continental, Weibold, HiiROC, Birla Carbon, Alpen Group, Cabot Corporation, PCBL and many more, view full agenda here

On the heels of its November 2023 commitment to gather information on the common tire additive 6PPD - and its chemical by-product 6PPD-quinone – that could be used to inform a subsequent regulatory action, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today the publication of a draft testing method (EPA Method 1634) that will enable government agencies, Tribes, and other groups to determine where and when 6PPD-quinone is present in local stormwater and surface waters. The 6PPD-quinone draft method is now available at https://www.epa.gov/cwa-methods. “We heard from the Tribes and other governmental agencies that one of the highest priorities for the agency should be the rapid development of a test for 6PPD-quinone,” said Casey Sixkiller, Regional Administrator of the agency’s Region 10 office in Seattle.

Enviro's CEO Fredrik Emilson, chairman Alf Blomqvist, and board member Peter Möller were present as the construction of Enviro Systems' recycling plant in Uddevalla officially began today. Together with Uddevalla's municipal councilor Martin Pettersson and the property owner Fratera's CEO Peter Karlsson, they held a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony with the assistance of an excavator.