News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Episode 60 of the Tyre Recycling Podcast features renowned tyre recycling and retreading consultant and President and CEO at DK Enterprises, Denise Kennedy. This time, David Wilson meets with Denise Kennedy at the Las Vegas OTR Tire Conference to get an overview of the US tyre recycling and retreading sector. Topics range from the establishment of the Tire Industry Foundation to Calcycle grants via retreading.

Thanks to 160 energy-saving projects, Continental Tires reduced its annual energy requirements by around 150 gigawatt hours in 2023. This was achieved, for example, through the increased use of renewable energies and thermal insulation. 150 gigawatt hours equates to powering about 12,500 family homes for a year, with an average consumption of 12,000 kilowatt hours per year. Energy in the tire industry is used, for example, to generate steam, which is required for tire vulcanization. In this production step, a rubber compound is converted into flexible, elastic rubber. With more efficient steam generation, Continental has reduced its CO2 emissions by 31,000 tons in 2023 alone.

Mumbai India, March 20th, 2024: Fornnax, a global pioneer in recycling machinery, is pleased to introduce the SR-200 HD Dual-Shaft Primary Shredder, a groundbreaking invention. The prestigious India Rubber Expo (IRE) at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai will debut on March 20, 2024. The SR-200 HD marks a significant leap in recycling technology, demonstrating Fornnax's dedication to engineering excellence and sustainability.

In episode 59, the Tyre Recycling Podcast talks to Peter Taylor OBE, Secretary General of the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA), about the lack of action on the T8 removal. The T8 Exemption, originally designed to support small businesses in the UK tire recycling sector, has been misused and abused, leading to negative impacts on legitimate, permitted recycling businesses. Seven years after the removal was first announced, we still don't seem to be close to a resolution. The domestic UK tyre recycling industry is being weakened by waste tyre exports to India.

Robert Weibold – an internationally renowned expert in the field of tire recycling and tire pyrolysis – will speak at Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE with presentation on "Status quo pyrolysis and current projects, trends in used tire recycling". The event will take place on April 25, 2024. If you would like to connect with Robert Weibold, discuss business opportunities or request information on consulting services, please send your inquiry at sales@weibold.com.

The Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) had recently announced that the nominations for its 2024 Industry Leadership Awards are now open. The nominations are open until April 26, 2024, in four categories: Leader of the Year, Young Leader, Lifetime Achievement, and Sustainability. Anyone can nominate a deserving individual or organization. Corporate nominees must have a physical presence, e.g., office or facility, in Canada. Nominated individuals can be domiciled anywhere. Self-nominations are only accepted for corporate nominees in the Sustainability category.

Utilizing recycled rubber crumb in the production of road surfaces and related products is contributing to South Africa's efforts toward a circular economy, where waste materials are repurposed for critical infrastructure needs. Dr. Mehran Zarrebini, CEO of Mathe Group, a radial truck tire recycler in Hammarsdale, notes that their factory processes about 1,000 radial truck tires per day, resulting in approximately 45 tons of rubber crumb.

With a wish to reduce tire abrasion and deepen knowledge in this field, Michelin has developed a system for analyzing small, emitted particles, "SAMPLE”. This captures, sorts, counts and characterizes particles close up to tires with unequalled precision and reproducibility. This analysis system, presented at Tire Technology, opens the way to tires with wear particles totally bio-assimilable by nature. There are questions being raised about tire and road wear particles. This is why it is essential to use reliable, reproducible and standardized measurements and will be a fundamental step in better understanding the environmental impact of these wear particles to innovate and devise new solutions.

On March 18, The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that it will build a passenger car tire plant in Mexico to strengthen its capacity to supply tires to the North American market. The new plant will have an annual production capacity of 5 million tires, with planned capital investment totaling US$380 million (approx. ¥52.1 billion). Construction of the new plant will start in the second quarter of 2024, and production is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2027. The new plant will be built on a site with a total area of about 610,000 square meters, which will be able to accommodate future expansion.