News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Circtec has completed construction of Phase 1 of its end-of-life tyre pyrolysis recycling facility at Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The plant is now in operation and recycling fifty thousand tonnes of waste tyres per year into high-quality circular products. The plant was formally opened by King Willem-Alexander in a ceremony in which the King commenced operations by feeding waste tyres into the recycling process himself. The ceremony was also attended by the Netherlands Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Climate and Green Growth and the British Ambassador to The Netherlands.

The achievement reflects continued progress at Ecolomondo’s Hawkesbury TDP facility, which is built using the Company’s proprietary Thermal Decomposition Technology (“TDP”). During the week, the facility successfully processed five double batches, each consisting of approximately 15,000 pounds of rubber crumb, for a total of 150,000 pounds processed. This production resulted in the generation of approximately 60,000 pounds of recovered carbon black and 75,000 pounds of tire-derived oil, along with approximately 15,000 lbs in syngas used as part of the process. In total, approximately 9,375 scrap tires were recycled during the week.

Research underway in Australia is examining whether crumb rubber made from end-of-life tires could play a larger role in building roads that are better suited to extreme climate conditions. ABC News recently reported on a study led by Charles Darwin University (CDU) that is testing how tire-derived crumb rubber performs in asphalt under Northern Territory conditions. Roads in the region are exposed to intense heat, high ultraviolet radiation, and heavy wet-season rainfall, all of which can accelerate cracking, deformation, and pothole formation.

Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) reports that Australia’s mining sector is beginning to play a more active role in advancing tire recycling initiatives, addressing one of the most complex challenges in the circular economy: the management of massive off-the-road (OTR) mining tires at end of life. TSA has highlighted Rio Tinto’s recent tire recycling trial as a strong example of how innovation and commitment can unlock new solutions for mining tires, which are notoriously difficult to process due to their size, steel content, and remote operating locations.

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.