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With recycling and sustainability making headlines in the mainstream news, recovered carbon has ever growing market potential. Its enhanced use would lead to reduction of CO2 footprint, cost reduction to carbon black users, less price volatility and even in some cases performance benefits over carbon black grades. It is used as a substitute for virgin carbon black, or applied in combination with its virgin counterpart; the research of the recycled material’s applications, its blending properties and value is still ongoing, and it was deeply discussed during Recovered Carbon Black Forum held on May 21-22 in Berlin, Germany organized by Smithers Rapra and Martin von Wolferstorff.

On 7 July, Newcastle University and Wastefront announced their partnership that will focus on the characterisation and enhancement of Wastefront’s recovered carbon black (rCB). As one of the UK’s top universities and a world leader in sustainability, Newcastle University’s partnership with Wastefront will see cutting-edge industry innovation emerge from research conceived in the North of England - ensuring the region is at the forefront of progressing circularity across Europe.

In the end of this article we make an estimation of a possible annual market size of recovered carbon black, modestly assuming virgin carbon black substitution rate at 20%. Hint: numbers suggest that recovered carbon black production is a profitable business rich in opportunities. Traditionally Carbon Black (CB) has been used as both a reinforcing agent and filler in automobile tires. Along with better understanding of CB’s unique properties as a material, it is presently used in a much wider range of applications across a large variety of products – car tires, conveyor belts, inks, plastic pipes, rubber mats, shoe soles and so forth. Virgin CB contains only trace amounts of impurities and carbon content is very close to 100%.

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:

Mars Mineral, a global provider of pelletizing technology equipment, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with South Korean-based LD Carbon to develop and install Mars’ pin mixer technology at LD Carbon’s newest pyrolysis and recovered carbon black (rCB) facility, which will be the largest of its kind in Asia. LD Carbon is a material industry company that supplies its Green Carbon Black, an eco-friendly rCB made from waste tires that have been pyrolyzed, refined, and processed for reuse by tire and rubber manufacturers. LD Carbon also reclaims pyrolysis oil from the process that is used for replacing crude oil and raw material of petrochemical products.

End-of-life tires (ELTs) represent a significant environmental challenge globally, with over 1 billion tires produced and discarded each year. Their durability and complex composition, which includes a mix of rubber compounds, metals, textiles, and fillers, make them particularly difficult to recycle. Traditional disposal methods like incineration and landfilling not only fail to recover valuable materials but also contribute to environmental degradation. As the world seeks more sustainable recycling practices, pyrolysis—a process of thermal decomposition in an inert atmosphere—has emerged as a promising alternative. This method allows for the recovery of valuable products such as recovered carbon black (rCB) and tire pyrolysis oil (TPO), including limonene, a solvent derived from the degradation of rubber components. However, achieving consistent, high-quality outputs through pyrolysis requires careful control of both feedstock characteristics and process parameters.

Marubeni Corporation, one of Japan’s largest trading companies, has announced its investment in Green Rubber Energy Company Limited (GRE), a company specializing in End-of-Life Tire (ELT) pyrolysis recycling in Thailand. This strategic investment aims to establish a sustainable tire recycling supply chain and mitigate the environmental impact associated with tire disposal.

In the most recent Tyre & Rubber Recycling Podcast, Michelin and Bridgestone's Call to Action received a good response. Tyre & Rubber Recycling's editor Ewan Scott met with a number of pyrolysis operators and inventors after the Smithers rCB Conference to find out what they anticipated the impact will be on their industry. The 28th episode of the podcast features video comments from Thomas Sorensson from Enviro, as well as feedback from Rob Harper from CIRCTEC and Pascal Klein from Pyrum Innovations. It also features video links with Jens Elton Andersen of Windspace and Henrik Selstam of Wastefront, both of whom have large-scale start-up aspirations.

Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum), a pioneer in the sustainable recycling of end-of-life tires based on its patented, unique pyrolysis technology, announces the first delivery of recovered carbon black (rCB) to Ralf Bohle GmbH with its Schwalbe brand. The rCB is obtained from used bicycle tires that Schwalbe collects from specialist dealers throughout Germany with its "Schwalbe Recycling System". Subsequently, Pyrum with its pyrolysis plant in Dillingen takes over the mechanical processing as well as the pyrolytic recycling of the used tires. Thus, Schwalbe is now starting production of the first bicycle tire to use rCB completely. The tire is to be presented in June 2023 at the world's largest bicycle trade fair Eurobike in Frankfurt and will then be available in stores.