News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

On March 14 2023, Reoil Sp. z o.o. – a company recycling end-of-life tires using continuous pyrolysis process, announced it had signed an LOI with Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd – a global tire manufacturer headquartered in Japan – for the commercialization of recovered carbon black (rCB). Through this agreement, the two companies will jointly develop products allowing Reoil’s recovered carbon black to partially replace virgin carbon blacks that produced from fossil fuels. About Reoil Reoil was one of the world’s pioneers in developing a successful continuous pyrolysis technology, which it implemented in its first end-of-life tire recycling plant in Bukowno (Małopolskie, Poland) yet in 2015.

Michelin, a leader in sustainability and innovation, today announced a $300 million CAD investment into its Canadian operations to accelerate sustainable mobility and improve its environmental footprint. The investment, part of Michelin’s global growth strategy, will see the installation of new technologies and equipment in Michelin’s three Nova Scotia production facilities to respond to market evolution. This includes manufacturing tires for the growing electric vehicle (EV) segment; larger rim size tires for passenger and light truck vehicles; as well as improved fuel efficiency for commercial trucks. In addition, the electrification of key parts of the manufacturing process will reduce carbon emissions at the plants.

Zeppelin Systems GmbH has partnered with French waste-tire sorting company Regom to deliver integrated tire recycling systems employing artificial intelligence (AI) technology. According to Zeppelin Systems’press release, every three seconds, a fully automatic tire sorting machine determines the future of a used car tire; therefore, the French company Regom's technology manages around 800 tires per hour. This is made possible with the help of AI, which evaluates tire sidewall images at lightning speed after measurement and determines exact features and further use of scrap tires. The results are a high-accuracy detection rate of the tire’s brand, model, profile, size and wear.

According to the Rubber World Magazine, Tokai Carbon CB announced that its Addis, LA facility is certified to the ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) Plus standard, allowing supply of sustainable carbon black. Tokai’s Borger, TX facility was the first carbon black plant in the world to achieve ISCC Plus certification in early 2022. This certification allows Tokai to provide sustainable carbon blacks from two plants using a mass balance process. The ISCC Plus standard uses a mass balance approach to enable users of circular and bio-based feedstocks to certify their products corresponding to the amount of these feedstocks consumed. Tokai Carbon CB currently uses a circular tire pyrolysis oil from ISCC Plus certified suppliers to produce sustainable carbon black declarations that customers are purchasing to produce sustainable consumer products.

*** Webinar recording inside *** The webinar "Upgrading Tire Pyrolysis Oils for Fuels and Chemicals Applications" was held by Topsoe on February 28. The high participation (200+ attendees) shows that the tire pyrolysis industry is interested in innovative technology solutions for upgrading pyrolysis oil.

Greater efficiency in protecting the environment, promoting the circular economy and promoting balanced and loyal relations between all operators in the sector are the main objectives of the Code of Best Practices. Adine, Cetraa, Conepa, the Spanish Recovery and Recycling Federation, Ganvam, Open, Signus and TNU signed the document that reflects the relationship between all the agents involved in the collection and management of end-of-life tires, which is entitled: "Code of Best Practices for the Management of End-of-Life Tires" . With the signing of this document, article 12.3 of Royal Decree 731/2020 is fulfilled, which includes the need to formalize a 'Voluntary Code of Best Practices for the Management of End-of-Life Tires', which promotes balanced and loyal relations among all the operators involved in this waste stream and contribute to the use of best practices in the development of these relationships.

A "controlled withdrawal" from the Russian market has been declared by Continental AG in response to the challenges caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. During the annual financial results press conference on March 8, Continental’s CEO Nicolai Setzer said that the invasion "driven up prices for goods, raw materials, and energy". This, according to Setzer, is the reason of the withdrawal. “This includes selling our business operations in Russia – such as our plant in Kaluga. We are already at an advanced stage of the sale process here. The regulatory approvals required to ensure its successful conclusion have not been made yet”, said Nicolai Setzer.

Titan International, Inc. and United Steelworkers (USW) called for restrictions on downstream products made from Russian petroleum inputs, citing in particular concerns over imports of off-the-road (OTR) tires from India. Paul Reitz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Titan International, stated, "Imports of Indian OTR tires increased by close to 38% in 2022 compared to 2021. India was not among the nations to ban imports of Russian oil products, including the production of the by-product, carbon black, which is a key ingredient the production of OTR tries. It is vital to our industry that we intensify our efforts to bring light to and close loopholes in the issued sanctions to Russia."

A Seoul-based startup LD Carbon, which specializes in pyrolysis, waste treatment and raw material recycling, received an equity investment from SK Incheon Petrochem, the petrol business subsidiary of SK innovation. Based on its patented technology, LD Carbon produces Recovered Carbon Black (rCB) by utilizing the residue generated from the pyrolysis of waste tires and supplies it to domestic and foreign tire and rubber product manufacturers. With the latest investment, LD Carbon will establish a new facility producing tire pyrolysis oil, which is produced as end-of-life tires decompose. Korea Development Bank will also help it by issuing new convertible bonds.