Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum) reports in its press release it won the MATERIALICA Design + Technology Award 2022 together with BASF SE, Mercedes-Benz AG and WITTE Automotive GmbH. The jury honoured the four companies with the Best of Award in the Material category for the innovative new door handles of the Mercedes S-Class and the EQE, in the production of which fossil raw materials are replaced by biomethane and pyrolysis oil from recycled end-of-life tyres (ELT). Together, this closes the cycle of recyclable materials and actively promotes the development of innovative recycling processes, Pyrum says.

Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG says:

“We are very happy about this award. It is a confirmation for the entire team that has worked tirelessly on this development. Pooling our know-how to minimise the consumption of natural resources and to use the greatest possible amount of recycled raw materials in production is another important milestone towards a sustainable circular economy.”

To close the recycling loop for ELT, Pyrum will in future produce pyrolysis oil from discarded tyres using its own innovative pyrolysis process. BASF then feeds this into its Verbund at the start of production. In addition, BASF uses biomethane from agricultural waste, a renewable raw material. Using both raw materials, a completely new plastic is created. The combination of pyrolysis oil from ELT and biomethane is used for the first time in the cooperation between Pyrum, BASF, Mercedes-Benz and WITTE. The plastic is certified according to the so-called "mass balance method": An independent certification confirms that the partner has replaced the quantities of fossil resources required for the end product with renewable raw materials and pyrolysis oil from ELT.

The use of secondary materials reduces both the use of fossil resources and the CO2 footprint in the manufacturing process. The innovative recycled plastic thus has, for the first time, the same properties as virgin plastic made from fossil raw materials. This makes chemical recycling particularly suitable for the production of components that are subject to high quality and safety requirements.

About Pyrum Innovations AG

Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum) is active in the attractive recycling market for end-of-life-tyres with its patented pyrolysis technology. Pyrum's pyrolysis process is completely energy self-sufficient, saves up to 98% of the CO2 emissions normally generated during the disposal of end-of-lifetyres in a cement plant and produces new raw materials such as pyrolysis oil, gas and recovered carbon black from the waste used as input materials. In this way, Pyrum closes the recyclable material loop and pursues a completely sustainable business model. As a pioneer, Pyrum Innovations AG was the first company in the end-of-life-tyre recycling sector to receive REACH registration from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) for the pyrolysis oil it produces. This means that the oil is recognised as an official raw material and can be used as a raw material in production processes. In addition, Pyrum is continuously researching both new input materials as well as new raw materials to be produced, for example with the ongoing tests for the extraction of hydrogen from the gas obtained by means of the patented technology. These achievements have also been recognised by international experts in the tyre industry. For example, Pyrum won the Best Tyre Recycling Innovation category at the inaugural Recircle Awards and has been nominated for the “Grand Prix Mittelstand” ("Großer Preis des Mittelstandes") from the German state of Saarland.