Zhongce Rubber Group Co., Ltd., a large Chinese tire manufacturer known as ZC Rubber, reports that during the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020 it partnered up with Nanjing Lvjinren Rubber & Plastic High-tech Co., Ltd. (Nanjing Lvjinren Rubber) to give circular economy a boost. The two companies have signed a contract to start using recycled rubber at expanded capacity. The project, which is expected to be fully operational in September this year, will have an annual production capacity of 20,000 tons of recycled rubber, and is expected to become China's leading “intelligent plant” using concepts of Industry 4.0 to recycle end-of-life tires.

As one of the leading tire manufacturers in China and one of the biggest in the world, ZC Rubber says it is the only experimental unit designated by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China and the China Tyre Recycling Association. While focusing on the tire industry, ZC Rubber says it took the lead to build up the production, sales, recycling and reuse of the whole life cycle tire management and development model. Besides, ZC Rubber says it has been actively involved in development of environment-friendly technologies, basing its development model on sustainable resources, and carrying out pilot projects for the recovery and comprehensive utilization of waste tires.

In their recent press release, ZC Rubber reports that it has been actively cooperating with universities and scientific research units in China and abroad to seek the most advanced comprehensive utilization technology for end-of-life tires. According to the press release, ZC Rubber ordered the first set of tire recycling equipment from Nanjing Lvjinren Rubber. The equipment has been developed in as a part of a project of National High Technology Research and Development Program of China by professor Zhang Liqun's team of Beijing University of Chemical Technology.

The company says that the cooperation between ZC Rubber and Nanjing Lvjinren means an important step forward for environment-friendly manufacturing driven by science and technology innovation. ZC says that the two parties will continue their efforts to contribute to the green development of the reduction, reuse and recycling of the tire industry and the creation of a resource-saving and environment-friendly society.

Article by ZC Rubber.