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Pyrolysis is a thermochemical pathway to treat vulcanized rubber for the recovery of valuable products. It involves the decomposition of the rubber at high temperatures (400 – 900°C) in the absence of an oxygen atmosphere. The main products of pyrolysis are a solid fraction, usually raw carbon black (according to ASTM D8178); a liquid fraction comprised of light oil, heavy oil, and tar; and a gas fraction. [Ramirez-Canon et. al., 2018]

In a recent press release by Birla Carbon – one of the leaders and innovators in the carbon black industry worldwide – the company announced a partnership for sustainability with Circtec – an end-of-life tire pyrolysis operator focused on production of renewable fuels and recovered carbon black. According to the press release: Circtec will become the largest producer of Sustainable Carbonaceous Materials Birla Carbon to deliver Sustainable Carbonaceous Materials to customers through its extensive product development capabilities Partnership to create the single largest source of Sustainable Carbonaceous Materials for the tire, mechanical rubber goods, and plastic industries

Black Bear Carbon (“BBC”), the Dutch technology provider for recycling end-of-life tire rubber into recovered Carbon Black (rCB) and renewable petrochemicals, has announced that is had successfully completed a first closing of €7.5M , this is the first step in a fundraising campaign of €78M for its new BBC flagship plant at Chemelot Industrial Park, the Netherlands. The investment round was led by Capricorn Partners from the Capricorn Sustainable Chemistry Fund, with support from Invest-NL, joined by current investors; Brightlands Venture Partners, Siam Cement Chemicals and others.

Dubbed as “a must-attend event for those with an interest in the rCB sector”, the Recovered Carbon Black Workshop is organized by Martin von Wolfersdoff – a renowned consultant in the field of carbon black – and Smithers. The online event is scheduled for June 3, 2021 (1pm BST / 2pm CEST / 8am EDT). The official workshop name is “Recovered Carbon Black Online Workshop: Increasing rCB volume in the tire supply chain - challenges and opportunities”. The workshop will be led Martin von Wolfersdorff and will provide an exclusive opportunity for the entire value chain to find out more about and discuss the following topics:

MotoE is a racing series for electric motorcycles that is being held for the third year. Michelin is the supplier of tires to the race participants and, ahead of this year’s season, has produced a tire that has significantly less environmental impact due to its high content of recycled materials, including recovered carbon black supplied by Enviro. According to Michelin, tests during the spring showed that the new and more sustainable tires contribute to shorter lap times, while they also heat up more quickly, with improved grip as a result.

Episode 23 of the Tyre Recycling Podcast features the CEO of Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) – a Swedish tire pyrolysis operator and equipment supplier. Thomas Sörensson spoke about the collaboration with Michelin, Enviro’s strong position and potential in the market and the expansion plans ahead. Enviro is a Swedish award-winning tire pyrolysis operator and equipment supplier who recently entered a partnership agreement with Michelin.

The German online magazine “Recycling Magazine” reports about a new generation of asphalt that recycles 10 used tires into every ton of the road surfacing product. The product is being laid on Gold Coast streets in a world-first trial, the magazine says. The innovative rubberized asphalt which uses recycled end-of-life tires, known as Carbonmastic, developed by Australian companies Austek Asphalt Production and Pearl Global, could potentially lead to millions of tyres each year being redirected from landfill.

According to recent media release, Rice University lab’s optimized flash process could reduce carbon emissions, which could be be where the rubber truly hits the road. Rice University scientists have optimized a process to convert waste from end-of-life rubber and tires into graphene that can, in turn, be used to strengthen concrete. The environmental benefits of adding graphene to concrete are clear, chemist James Tour says. “Concrete is the most-produced material in the world, and simply making it produces as much as 9% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions,” Tour said. “If we can use less concrete in our roads, buildings and bridges, we can eliminate some of the emissions at the very start.”

The advantages of pyrolysis to tackle the world's growing disposal problem with end-of-life tires (ELT) in terms of a circular economy were described extensively in the last decade. Pyrolysis is a thermal process that converts organic rubber material into low molecular weight compounds such as pyrolysis gas, pyrolysis oil and raw recovered Carbon Black (ASTM 8178-20a). In contrast to the incineration of ELT, which is often condescendingly referred to as "thermal recycling" or „waste-to-energy“, pyrolysis does not destroy any raw materials, but breaks down the waste product into its chemical raw material components and makes them available for the circular economy. Fortunately, this is in the meantime confirmed by the great demand from the chemical industry for products from ELT pyrolysis.