Search Results

Continental has developed a concept tire containing around 43% recycled materials as part of the EU-funded ZEvRA project, which focuses on circularity in electric vehicles. ZEvRA stands for “Zero Emission Electric Vehicles Enabled by Harmonized Circularity” and brings together 28 partners, with Continental participating as the only tire manufacturer in the consortium. The concept tire includes recycled tall oil, steel, rubber from end-of-life tires and polyester fibers made from recycled PET bottles. Continental said the development highlights what is technically possible today while also showing that industrial-scale use of recycled materials requires reliable regulatory frameworks, sufficient supply of high-quality recycled raw materials and scalable recycling technologies. The tire also achieved the highest rating for the EU rolling resistance label, demonstrating the company’s aim to combine sustainability with performance.

The process draws on end‑of‑life tyres collected across Germany, from some Driver retail outlets and motorsport activities, as well as scrap tyres collected from Pirelli's Breuberg plant. They are processed through an industrial chain designed to maximize their inner value, converting them into secondary raw materials – including synthetic rubber – certified under the ISCC PLUS scheme. This ensures traceability along the value chain and enables the circular materials’ reintroduction into the manufacturing of new Pirelli tyres, maintaining their highest standards of quality and performance.

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.

This year, Weibold is again proud to be a media partner of the Recovered Carbon Black 2020 organized by Smithers. We are inviting all interested parties to register for the event with the 10% discount from Weibold! Use our promo code “RCB20WD” in the end of your registration for the Forum.

When Europe adopted the Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III) in June 2023, few outside the energy policy sphere anticipated how consequential the reform would be for niche industries. Yet, for producers of Tire-Derived Pyrolysis Oil (TPO), RED III is more than legislative housekeeping; it's a turning point that transforms a once-marginal circular fuel into a recognized contributor to Europe's decarbonization ambitions.

Porous Lane, a new firm that uses University of Melbourne technology to create highly permeable pavements out of recycled tire rubber, is delivering water to the city's parks and gardens while also diverting garbage and reducing pollution in our rivers. Porous Lane uses research from the University of Melbourne to create permeable pavements out of used tires. These ecofriendly pavements filter rainwater to decrease stormwater runoff, promote healthy tree development, and prevent flooding in our urban environment. According to the University of Melbourne, Porous Lane pavements are less expensive, more durable, and simpler to maintain than its rivals, with the added bonus of containing at least 50% recycled content.

The laboratory — established within Eco Infinic's operational facility in Chon Buri, Thailand and representing an investment of 5.3 million Baht — has become the technical engine behind the company's recovered Carbon Black (rCB) product line. It is one of the few purpose-built facilities in Southeast Asia focused exclusively on rubber tire and non-tire rCB application development. Eco Infinic, a BOI-approved subsidiary of SHEICO Group (Taiwan) and a member of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) under the Environmental Management Industry Club and Rubber Industry Club, has positioned the laboratory as the centerpiece of its commitment to delivering certified, performance-proven rCB to global manufacturers.

Until now, the certification value of ELT-derived TPO has often been discussed primarily in terms of its biogenic share. This share is primarily linked to natural rubber used in tires and can be supported by 14C testing. That pathway remains relevant. But it did not fully address the larger commercial question: what about the fossil carbon in tires that is not bio-based, but is nevertheless recovered from a waste stream?

Sustainable rCB, thermochemically recovered from end-of-life tires, has already made the leap into industrial practice, and is making an important contribution to closing the loop in the tire and rubber industry. The first Cradle to Cradle certificate for rCB was already issued by EPEA in 2017, and most recently another rCB was accredited under the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) scheme. Besides the environmental advantages of using rCB in the rubber & tire industry, for instance that of CO2 reduction, the economic feasibility of pyrolysis is positively affected by these markets.