News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Over the past year, the tire pyrolysis industry has absorbed several important changes in sustainability certification. In February 2026, Weibold examined how ISCC EU Mass Balance Guidance Version 1.2 tightened attribute assignment for mixed-origin materials such as end-of-life tires. In May, we discussed the increasingly relevant RCF pathway for the fossil fraction of ELTs. And in August, we looked more broadly at how these and other regulatory developments were changing the commercial identity of tire pyrolysis oil.

Tyres Europe and Recycling Europe are urging the European Commission to introduce harmonized EU-wide End-of-Waste criteria for rubber recovered from end-of-life tires, arguing that fragmented national rules are restricting trade, investment and wider use of recycled tire materials. In a joint position published on July 31, 2026, the two organizations said clear and binding criteria are needed to determine when ELT-derived rubber ceases to be classified as waste and becomes a product. They argue that a common framework would reduce administrative barriers, improve legal certainty, support quality assurance and make it easier for tire and rubber manufacturers to incorporate recycled materials into new products. The initiative is also linked to wider EU circular economy objectives, including the Clean Industrial Deal, the forthcoming Circular Economy Act and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which are expected to increase demand for recycled materials and strengthen Europe’s internal market for secondary raw materials.

Grupo Soledad has obtained two Environmental Product Declarations certified by AENOR under the GlobalEPD program for recycled rubber solutions developed by its Industrial Division. The declarations cover rubber granulate produced by Industrias del Neumático and an elastomeric mat manufactured by Caucho Industrial Verdú for resilient railway infrastructure applications. The certifications provide independently verified environmental information based on product lifecycle assessment and are intended to improve transparency for recycled materials derived from end-of-life tires. According to Grupo Soledad, the declarations support wider use of recycled rubber in sports facilities, construction, civil engineering and infrastructure by giving architects, engineers, contractors and public authorities quantified environmental data that can be used in procurement and sustainability assessments.

Spanish recycling machinery manufacturer Tallants Navarro has completed its planned brand transition and will now operate exclusively under the commercial name Recycla. The company, part of Grupo Soledad, had been using the Tallants Navarro and Recycla names in parallel while gradually introducing the new identity to international markets. The transition creates a single brand for the company’s activities in waste treatment technology, machinery manufacturing and cutting-component development. Recycla supplies industrial shredding systems and related equipment for processing end-of-life tires, plastics, wood and other waste materials, combining machinery manufacturing with Grupo Soledad’s practical experience in tire recycling. The completed rebranding is intended to strengthen the company’s international presence while providing a clearer identity around recycling technology and material recovery.

Continental has begun integrating recovered carbon black into selected conveyor belt compounds at its North American plants as part of efforts to reduce reliance on fossil-based raw materials and increase circular material use in industrial rubber products. The company is sourcing rCB from Bolder Industries, which produces the material from end-of-life, post-consumer and post-industrial rubber, including discarded tires, through thermal pyrolysis. Continental says approximately 157,000 pounds of recovered carbon black were used in its North American conveyor belt production over the past 12 months, replacing a portion of virgin carbon black and avoiding an estimated 487 metric tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions. Production trials have also indicated that the rCB-containing compounds can maintain comparable material costs, processing characteristics and performance, supporting the potential for recovered carbon black from tire recycling and other rubber waste streams to enter demanding industrial applications at commercial scale.

Waste Energy Corp. is advancing two expansion initiatives aimed at increasing its tire processing capacity and building a larger waste recycling and resource recovery platform in the United States. The company has signed a non-binding letter of intent for the potential acquisition of an established tire processing operation together with approximately 10 acres of industrial property and associated operating assets. Waste Energy estimates that, if completed and operated at anticipated levels, the business could process approximately 3 million to 5 million tires annually and generate between $3 million and $5 million in annual revenue. At the same time, the company says its previously announced expansion of its Midland, Texas waste conversion campus remains on track, while final commissioning continues on its initial waste conversion system. Together, the initiatives would expand Waste Energy beyond a single facility by adding tire handling capacity, industrial real estate, operating infrastructure and additional potential revenue streams.

A Sunshine Coast Council road trial in Queensland has demonstrated that crumb rubber produced from off-the-road tires can be used in asphalt and bitumen applications with performance comparable to conventional tire-derived crumb rubber, while a new lifecycle assessment indicates potential greenhouse gas savings when the modified pavement achieves a longer service life. The demonstration used crumb rubber produced entirely from OTR tires sourced from local construction equipment and incorporated it into several pavement treatments across Perlan Street, Railway Parade and Spalls Road. Twelve-month performance results found that OTR crumb rubber could be substituted for conventional crumb rubber without significant changes to asphalt production or placement, while laboratory testing indicated improved resistance to aging and environmental cracking. A 2026 lifecycle assessment by the National Transport Research Organisation found that although some crumb rubber-modified pavements have higher initial embodied emissions, longer service life and reduced maintenance could lower whole-of-life greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20% under the scenarios studied.

Pyrum Innovations AG has introduced a new corporate identity intended to reflect its development from a tire recycling company into a broader technology provider for circular raw materials. The rebranding includes a new logo, revised corporate design, a redesigned website and the new claim “Rethink Resources,” which the company says expresses its focus on recovering valuable raw materials from waste and returning them to industrial production cycles. Pyrum positions its proprietary thermolysis technology at the center of this strategy, using it to process end-of-life tires and certain plastics into products including tire-derived oil and recovered carbon black. The new identity is also intended to support Pyrum’s international expansion and the scaling of its technology as the company develops additional recycling projects and partnerships in Europe.

The municipality of Posadas, Argentina, removed 8,523 end-of-life tires from tire shops during the first half of 2026 as part of its ongoing campaign to reduce breeding sites for Aedes aegypti, the mosquito responsible for transmitting dengue. The municipal operation covered 120 tire businesses across all 12 administrative delegations of the city and involved 111 collection days between January and June, averaging almost 330 tires removed per week. Authorities identified waste tires as a priority public health concern because their shape allows rainwater to accumulate, creating favorable conditions for mosquito reproduction. The program combines regular tire collection with targeted epidemiological surveillance and illustrates how organized waste tire management can support both public health and environmental objectives.