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Following its traditionally successful track record, another Recovered Carbon Black Conference organized by Smithers turned out to be a great success. The conference took place on November 22-23, 2021, in Amsterdam (The Netherland). Recognized within the industry as an essential platform for experts and innovators, the program offered a 360-degree perspective of the Recovered Carbon Black market. Key industry leaders from around the world shared their expertise, case studies and latest findings.

Michelin and Bridgestone publicly announced their collaboration on developing the recovered carbon black on November 22 at the Smithers rCB Conference in Amsterdam. Sander Vermeulen of Michelin and Jake Ronsholt of Bridgestone took to the stage to discuss the role of pyrolysis in the tire recycling industry as well as the opportunities it presents. Vermeulen was apparent that pyrolysis had the potential to reduce the amount of fossil fuel utilized for virgin Carbon Black used in tires, but there were obstacles. Vermeulen was apparent that pyrolysis had the potential to reduce the amount of fossil fuel utilized for virgin Carbon Black used in tires, but there were obstacles. According to Vermeulen, many operators had demonstrated that industrial pyrolysis on a small scale could produce the needed rCB. However, when scaled up to major commercial operations, there was no uniformity and no standards, and there was a lack of consistency and specification.

The International Organization for Standardization (2008, 2013) defines chemical recycling as a production of new raw materials by changing the chemical structure of polymers (e.g., plastic, rubber) through depolymerization, excluding energy recovery and incineration. Whereby depolymerisation is understood as a reversion of a polymer to its monomer(s) or to a polymer of lower relative molecular mass. This irreversible chemical decomposition (depolymerization) in pyrolysis processes is caused solely by a rise in temperature in an inert or oxygen free environment (UIPAC, 2021).

Carbon Black is produced by burning fossil fuels, however the market is shifting as the rubber and plastics industries turn to tire pyrolysis as a source of recovered Carbon Black. Smart Tire Recycling (STR), based in Pittsburgh, says that their innovative method yields recovered Carbon Black (rCB), which is equivalent to virgin Carbon Black used in tires. Pyrolysis, which needs high temperatures to transform materials into liquid in the absence of oxygen, has been the primary technology for producing rCB until now. Despite a long history of research and development, meeting the criteria and needed properties for usage as a CB replacement has remained a challenge.

Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) has formally submitted an environmental permit application for the recycling plant that the company intends to establish in Uddevalla, Sweden. The application pertained to the establishment of a tire pyrolysis plant on an industrial site in the Lillesjö district of Uddevalla Municipality. The facility would have an initial annual capacity of 30,000 tons of end-of-life tires but the long-term plan for the facility is to process up to 60,000 tons per year. Enviro expects the application process to take up to one year.

The machinery of the Italian tire recycling equipment supplier Salvadori will be used to ensure operations of tire downsizing, and recycling of about 30,000 tons of earthmover tires per year. The Michelin Group selected Salvadori Srl as the supplier for the downsizing system. This new-generation tire recycling plant is to be built in Chile; currently it is under construction in collaboration with Enviro, a Swedish company that has developed a patented technology for recycling tires into recover carbon black, oil, steel and gas using pyrolysis method. The plant will be based in Chile’s Antofagasta region. Salvadori's tire recycling technology will be used specifically to reduce the tire into pieces of predetermined dimensions which will then be further processed in the factory.

British recycling innovator, Big Atom, is celebrating a receiving a £350,000 grant from Innovate UK, which is to help the company further advance in end-of-life tire recycling. The tire recycling company, which, reportedly, boasts the North West’s second largest tire recycling plant, has been given the cash injection to develop its patented chemical reactor technology, which will convert old waste tires into new materials. Company founder, Alexander Guslisty, said that the grant would enable the business to develop the concept of a novel pyrolysis reactor with improved temperature control and efficiencies to create an even more sustainable regeneration process for polymers.

Ecolomondo – a Canadian end-of-life tire pyrolysis company – reports in its press release that the new agreement will provide 30,000+ tons of tire feedstock and $3.4 million tipping and handling revenue to Hawkesbury recycling facility as it prepares for lunch. Ecolomondo Corporation is a cleantech company commercializing its proprietary Thermal Decomposition Process (“TDP”) recycling technology and turnkey TDP facilities used to transform tires, plastics and other hydrocarbon waste streams into saleable renewable commodities. Ecolomondo is pleased to announce it has entered into a long-term supply agreement (the “Agreement”) with Recyc-Quebec to have over 31,000 short tons of end-of-life-tire (ELT) feedstock (approximately 80% passenger tires / 20% truck tires) delivered to the Company’s flagship Hawkesbury TDP recycling facility.

Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum), a pioneer in the sustainable recycling of end-of-life tires based on its patented pyrolysis technology, has begun expanding the production capacity of its pyrolysis plant at the company's headquarters in Dillingen/Saar. As of October 2021, the plant consists of one production line, which has been operating on an industrial scale since May 2020, producing pyrolysis oil, recovered carbon black (rCB) and pyrolysis gas from more than 7,000 tons of end-of-life tires during this period. The addition of two more production lines will triple processing capacity to approximately 20,000 tons of end-of-life tires per year. Excavation work for the foundations has already begun on the plant site. In addition, key components of the new plants have been ordered on a binding basis.