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On September 5, Vow ASA announced that its subsidiary Scanship AS has signed a FEED (Front End Engineering Design) contract with Murfitts Industries, a leading end-of-life tire recycling company. This contract represents the latest milestone in a collaborative program between the two companies focused on developing a process to recover and reuse raw materials from end-of-life tires on a commercial scale. One of the primary goals of this initiative is to allow manufacturers to incorporate recovered materials into new tire production, thereby closing the loop in the tire lifecycle.

Tire pyrolysis is a complex capital-intensive business which requires much know-how and which is rather challenging to successfully run today. However, we are convinced tire pyrolysis has a bright future ahead. First, let’s consider reasons which make this business challenging. In the OECD countries, tire pyrolysis is hampered mainly by national regulations. For instance, in Germany, fuels obtained from recycled rubber are banned for use in vehicular engines.

Bridgestone EMEA (Bridgestone), Grupo BB&G (BB&G) and Versalis (Eni) announced the signing of an agreement aimed at establishing a closed-loop ecosystem to transform end-of-life tyres into new tyres. The agreement will bring together the innovation, experience and technological skills of all three companies. The partnership aims to develop a model for the creation of a scalable and increasingly sustainable supply chain. Around one billion tyres reach the end of their useful service life every year, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)’s Tire Industry Project1. Bridgestone, BB&G and Versalis are seeking a solution that provides innovative and more environmentally responsible ways to address increased sustainability in the synthetic rubber business, helping to maximise the complete lifecycle of a tyre.

This March, BASF revealed its plans to use pyrolysis oil from recycled tires to manufacture outdoor pants. The new product line of the outdoor apparel company VAUDE which will be available in stores from March 2022, does not only stands out due to its timeless design, robust material and simple reparability – the pants are also sustainable, as chemically recycled endof-life tires are used as a raw material. With this innovation, BASF and VAUDE seek to make a contribution towards reducing waste and preserving valuable resources.

On December 10, 2021, New Energy was the only commercially active company worldwide that was certified by ISCC PLUS as a "Point of Origin" and greenhouse gas savings for chemical recycling of both tire and plastics.

In our last article (Part I) we addressed the question of how the advantages of a classic batch-reactor process design can be combined with those of a continuous process mode. In the current article (Part II) we address some characteristics and advantages of a batch reactor regarding the thermochemical reactions and their effects on the end products. We refer to the extensive scientific literature and to the findings of successful companies in the industry.

By its nature, tire recycling and pyrolysis are capital-intensive businesses which require rather big investments to lay a foundation of successful production. The industry is constantly changing. Existing markets are under threat, other markets emerge. More than ever it is important to facilitate and support R&D efforts. Associations and businesses around the world work hard to protect existing and build new markets for the industry by developing new value-added products from the main output materials of the industry – recycled rubber granulates (crumb rubber), pyrolytic fuel oil and recovered carbon black (rCB).

Contec S.A. – a company that specializes in producing sustainable raw materials by upcycling end-of-life tires – has successfully secured a total of EUR 15 million in funding this year. The largest Polish manufacturer of steel roofing and facades – Pruszyński – has contributed an additional EUR 5 million to the funds already provided by VINCI and the Warsaw Equity Group. These two entities had initially invested EUR 10 million in Contec back in March 2023. The investment will be used to triple the capacity of Contec’s current facility in Szczecin, Poland, and to position the company for the construction of several new commercial plants across Europe. This will support Contec's mission to accelerate the transformation of the manufacturing industry toward carbon neutrality.

In a recent article by Automotive World, Krzysztof Wróblewski, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Technology Officer at Contec S.A., delves into the potential of recycled tires to reshape the future of mobility. Rather than viewing end-of-life tires (ELTs) as mere waste, the automotive industry can leverage them as valuable secondary feedstock for tire manufacturing, aligning with circular principles. This shift could substantially reduce the carbon footprint of tires and contribute to manufacturers' ambitious 2050 goals of achieving net-zero emissions.