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A new research initiative by Curtin University in Australia is set to advance the role of pyrolysis in circular economy solutions, focusing on upgrading plastic-derived pyrolysis oil into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—a critical step in decarbonizing both the waste and aviation fuel sectors.

Weibold welcomes the renewed step by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to seek public comment on removing the reference to “pyrolysis/combustion units” from the definition of “municipal waste combustion unit” in the Other Solid Waste Incineration (OSWI) framework.

Robert Weibold – the founder a tyre recycling and pyrolysis consulting company Weibold – was interviewed by the Rubber Review magazine this February. Below, we cite Issue 33 of the Rubber Review magazine (February 16-22) featuring the interview.

Nienburg District, Lower Saxony (Germany) – 11 February 2026 – The State of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) has approved €6.05 million in investment support for Waste2Value GmbH to establish a new operating site in the Nienburg district and build a modular thermolysis (chemical recycling) plant for hard-to-recycle plastic waste. The funding is granted under the Joint Task “Improvement of Regional Economic Structures” (GRW) programme.

For more than a decade, the European tire pyrolysis sector has lived with a paradox. Technically, pyrolysis (or pyrolysis) of end-of-life tires (ELTs) has demonstrated its ability to recover valuable hydrocarbons and return them to the chemical value chain. Legally, however, the main product – tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) – often remained burdened with the classification of “waste,” even when it was demonstrably used as a substitute for fossil feedstocks in petrochemical applications. This legal ambiguity has been one of the central barriers to industrial scale-up, financing, and long-term offtake agreements.

The Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) has officially launched the LOOP THE TIRE 2026 startup competition, calling on innovators across Europe to rethink tires, close material loops, and help shape a sustainable future for the tire and tire recycling industry. Applications are now open, with a deadline of May 15, 2026.

Circtec has completed construction of Phase 1 of its end-of-life tyre pyrolysis recycling facility at Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The plant is now in operation and recycling fifty thousand tonnes of waste tyres per year into high-quality circular products. The plant was formally opened by King Willem-Alexander in a ceremony in which the King commenced operations by feeding waste tyres into the recycling process himself. The ceremony was also attended by the Netherlands Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Climate and Green Growth and the British Ambassador to The Netherlands.

German Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) reports thar each year, more than 500,000 metric tons of end-of-life tires are generated in Germany. Tires that can no longer be repaired, regrooved, or retreaded are ideally directed toward climate-friendly recovery pathways—preferably mechanical recycling, followed by chemical recycling where appropriate. A new film released by the Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) clearly illustrates how tire pyrolysis plays a key role in avoiding waste, keeping valuable raw materials in circulation, and sustainably substituting fossil resources.

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, under its Dunlop brand, has begun using circular carbon black produced through chemical recycling in selected mass-produced passenger car tires. Production started in November 2025 at the company’s Miyazaki plant, marking the first time this type of recycled carbon black has been adopted in Dunlop’s commercial passenger tire lineup.