News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Serbia took a significant step toward sustainable tire recycling and circular economy practices with the establishment of its first bilateral ecosystem dedicated to implementing the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model in the tire sector. The initiative was formalized at the Future-Proof Industry: Innovation, Partnerships and Sustainable Growth conference, held at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS). During the event, representatives of Confindustria Serbia, Italian sustainability company Innovando, and PKS signed a Memorandum of Understanding, marking the official launch of the Serbian–Italian EPR ecosystem for tires.

German Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) reports thar each year, more than 500,000 metric tons of end-of-life tires are generated in Germany. Tires that can no longer be repaired, regrooved, or retreaded are ideally directed toward climate-friendly recovery pathways—preferably mechanical recycling, followed by chemical recycling where appropriate. A new film released by the Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) clearly illustrates how tire pyrolysis plays a key role in avoiding waste, keeping valuable raw materials in circulation, and sustainably substituting fossil resources.

As reported by the European Rubber Journal (ERJ) this January, an Irish materials technology start-up said it had made significant progress in chemical tire recycling, unveiling a process capable of recovering up to 98 percent of materials from end-of-life tires, including rubber, recovered carbon black, steel, and textile fibers.

Terrablack is designed to address the growing demand for sustainable carbon black. Using recovered carbon black (rCB) and Tire-derived oil (TDO), this product line is formulated after 24 months of in-depth testing and collaboration to shape the future of carbon black production. It offers high-performance, eco-friendly solutions that meet the needs of both Tire and non-Tire industries.

TEMA Process attended and exhibited at the Smither's Recovered Carbon Black Conference in Barcelone to present its fluid bed dryer solutions for recovered carbon black. Egberts also highlighted the importance of industry events in understanding evolving market requirements and technological trends within the rCB sector. He concluded by outlining how TEMA Process had focused on energy savings, operational efficiency and safety as key differentiators, helping the company build a competitive advantage in the rapidly developing tyre pyrolysis and carbon black recovery market.

The partnership expanded Tana’s regional distribution network and enabled Hungarian customers to source TANA mobile waste shredders, landfill compactors and screening equipment through a locally established provider. These machines are widely used in waste treatment applications, including the pre-processing of end-of-life tyres for material recycling, rubber recovery and downstream technologies such as pyrolysis.

Cabot’s circular reinforcing carbon leveraging regenerated carbon technology is a new material that Sumitomo Rubber has not previously utilized in tire production. Recognized as a key enabler for reducing carbon emissions for both companies, this material will undergo evaluation for use in mass-produced tires by Sumitomo Rubber. Concurrently, Cabot will focus on scaling regenerated carbon technology to meet anticipated market demand.

Fredrik Aaben has been employed by Scandinavian Enviro Systems as Chief Financial Officer since November 2024. Prior to joining Scandinavian Enviro Systems, Fredrik Aaben served as Head of Corporate Finance at Volvo Cars, where he spent close to eight years in various roles within corporate finance, corporate strategy and corporate governance. He has also served as Group Business Controller at Stena AB and has a background in management and strategy consulting. Fredrik Aaben holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management as well as a Master of Science in Software Engineering, both from Chalmers University of Technology.

South African tyre recycler Mathe Group has made a significant investment to upgrade how steel is recovered from end-of-life truck tyres, transforming what was once a low-value by-product into a premium export material. The company has commissioned new processing equipment that will allow it to extract and package hundreds of tonnes of clean steel each month for international markets, strengthening the economics of large-scale tyre recycling.