News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Fornnax Technologies will showcase its R-MAX3300 secondary shredder at IFAT India 2026, taking place from September 9 to 11 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. The company says the machine is the world’s biggest secondary and fine shredder and is engineered for high-capacity alternative fuel and raw material pre-processing. Designed for applications including end-of-life tires, municipal solid waste, e-waste, cable waste and other complex material streams, the R-MAX3300 is intended to produce a consistent 50–80 mm output for cement and waste-to-energy applications. With a 3,300 mm rotor length, 1,145 mm rotor diameter and processing capacity of 30 to 70 tonnes per hour depending on input material and screen size, the equipment is positioned for large-scale recycling operations seeking higher throughput, reliable pre-processing and lower cost per tonne.

Kentucky reported a statewide waste tire recycling rate of 77.4% for fiscal year 2025, slightly below the 78.2% reported in 2024 and close to the most recent US national average cited in the state’s Waste Tire Program Annual Report. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet said residents generated an estimated 59,100 tons of waste tires in 2025, equivalent to about 4.2 million passenger tire equivalents. The Commonwealth and county governments managed about 15.1% of that total, while the private sector accounted for the remaining 84.9%. The report highlights the continuing role of the Waste Tire Trust Fund in collection events, county grants, crumb rubber and tire-derived product grants, rubber modified asphalt projects and market development, while also warning that tire-derived fuel markets face pressure from reduced solid fuel use, low-cost natural gas and broader changes in manufacturing and energy markets.

TNU says tire recycling alone is no longer enough to complete the circular economy unless recovered materials return to the market and replace virgin raw materials. In an article by Javier de Jesús Landesa, Operational Director of Tratamiento de Neumáticos Usados, the Spanish collective system argues that public procurement can become one of the strongest tools for creating stable demand for materials recovered from end-of-life tires. Spain already has a consolidated tire management system and an industry capable of converting used tires into rubber, steel, textile fibers and other secondary raw materials. However, TNU says the main challenge is now commercial and industrial: recycled rubber, retreaded tires, recovered carbon black and other tire-derived materials need markets large enough to absorb them and recognize their technical, environmental and economic value.

TSA has opened Round 4 of its Market Development Fund, with applications available from September 1 to October 6 for projects that increase real-world use of Australian tire-derived material. The fund offers grants of up to $300,000 for eligible applicants across Australia and supports projects that move tire-derived material from concept to practical market use. TSA says the program is designed to build stronger long-term demand for material recovered from end-of-life tires by backing product innovation, infrastructure trials, local manufacturing and applied research. The fund is open through two streams: Demonstration & Infrastructure Projects and Research & Development. Supported activities must use Australian-sourced tire-derived material and demonstrate commercial, environmental or community value.

Greenwin has officially launched the EcoBridge project, a 12-month initiative funded by the Central European Initiative Network Programme to connect Ukrainian and Moldovan small and medium-sized enterprises with EU expertise in sustainability, digitalization, circular economy and international business development. The project began with a virtual kick-off meeting on April 17, 2026, bringing together consortium partners from Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria and Italy. GREENWIN acts as project coordinator and contributes expertise in circular economy, tire recycling pyrolysis technology and Extended Producer Responsibility policy development in Ukraine. Through training sessions, study visits, strategic documents and a final conference in Italy, EcoBridge aims to help non-EU SMEs improve competitiveness, strengthen resilience and prepare for green and digital transition in line with European integration objectives.

Mexico’s Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes is carrying out periodic conservation works on the federal highway 15 Morelia-Guadalajara using recycled materials, including ground rubber from end-of-life tires. The works are being carried out through Centro SICT Jalisco on isolated sections between kilometers 97+940 and 116+500, in the area between Jocotepec and El Molino. According to local reporting, the technique combines recycled asphalt pavement, known as RAP, with ground tire rubber to produce an asphalt mix designed to improve pavement resistance and durability. The project links road maintenance with tire recycling, rubber recycling and circular economy objectives by creating an infrastructure outlet for waste tire materials while improving the performance of the road surface.

The municipality of Centro in Tabasco, Mexico, has removed 1,669.65 tonnes of waste tires since 2022 as part of a coordinated public health and environmental campaign against dengue, Zika and chikungunya. The results were presented during an ordinary session of the Municipal Health Committee, where local authorities reviewed progress, prevention strategies and the epidemiological situation in the municipality. According to the report, all collected tire material has been sent for ecological processing to Geocycle, allowing the municipality to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites while giving the recovered material a controlled treatment route. The initiative shows how waste tire collection, public health policy and tire recycling can work together to reduce disease-vector risks and improve local environmental management.

>Kuwait Green Building Council hosted a hybrid lecture and discussion with the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research on the potential use of recycled tire materials in road construction. The session, titled “From Waste to Roads,” took place on August 24, 2026, and focused on Kuwait’s tire waste challenge and the opportunity to repurpose discarded tires for more sustainable infrastructure. The topic is especially relevant to Kuwait because the former Al-Rheyya site once contained more than 40 million waste tires before they were transferred to Al-Salmi for treatment and recycling. The session presented tire recycling and rubberized asphalt as potential circular economy pathways that can reduce the environmental burden of accumulated tires while creating productive uses for recycled rubber in the built environment.

The Mining Cleantech Challenge is a product-innovation showcase that connects technology providers with mining companies, investors and suppliers. Selected finalists are chosen through a competitive vetting process and receive an opportunity to pitch their technologies live, gain executive feedback and explore partnership and commercialization pathways. The 2026 event took place on August 27 and focused on technologies that can improve mining sustainability, efficiency and profitability. Colorado Cleantech said the program is open to companies from any geography or stage, provided their technology can address mining or mineral processing challenges.