Anyone who works in the tire recycling industry will be familiar with the overarching statistics; that the UK generates around 55 million end-of-life tires (ELTs) annually.

Whilst there is some recent information that suggest ELTs are being exported in higher volumes than ever, a ban on placing tires into landfill since 2006, has seen the tire recycling and recovery sector become big business. Now, the UKs first continuous pyrolysis plant for ELTs in Worksop, UK, is set to be a game changer for tire recycling and recovery in the UK and beyond.

With our ‘go-live’ date imminent, the plant will process 1 tonne of tire crumb (tires which have been de-fluffed and de-wired and chipped) each hour. Most unique, is that it produces around 3.6 million litres of Tire Pyrolysis Oil (TPO) each year and around 2,500 tonnes of carbon char.

Ben Crunkhorn, Divisional Director, Carlton Forest Renewables commented; “Our plant is an absolute superb example of how waste products, in this case ELTs, can be recovered and processed in a responsible way to create further products making the process completely circular.

“No further waste is created, no harmful emissions are created and, as the plant is small scale and can operate in island mode; meaning it requires no connection to the grid, the potential it brings to changing the face of tire recycling is huge.”

The small scale but highly efficient plant can be deployed in warehouses across the UK, reducing the tire miles generated by driving waste tires up and down the country to tire recycling facilities.

Ben concluded; “We will be the first operation pyrolysis plant for end-of-life tires in the UK. We are proud to be leading by example as to how tire recovery can be a positive process, deliver a revenue stream and great return on investment, and make a real difference as to how we dispose of one of the most hard to recycle materials.”

Press release by Carlton Forest Group.