News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum), a pioneer in the sustainable recycling of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) based on its patented pyrolysis technology, has achieved 72 out of 100 points in imug's ESG rating. The company's overall sustainability performance is therefore rated as "very good". The rating by imug, one of the leading sustainability rating agencies in Germany and a specialist in environmental, social and governance (ESG) research, was carried out in the first quarter of 2023 and is based on several areas of investigation. Pyrum scored particularly well in the area of "products and services", where the company received full marks. Here, imug analysed Pyrum's business model and assessed how the company's products and services make a positive contribution to environmental or social development.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced the funding of more than $2 million in grants to develop new markets for end-of-life vehicle tires. When illegal dumping in the environment occurs, scrap tires pose both a fire hazard and a human health risk as a mosquito breeding ground. These end-of-life tire grants support building sustainable markets for recycled tire materials in Michigan. Grants have traditionally included support for essential equipment and materials that aid in the establishment of new markets, including various manufacturing processes, implementation and testing of paving materials, energy generation, and other innovative approaches.

Manufacturers’ Monthly magazine reports that a steel manufacturing process using waste rubber feedstock has been commercialized in a collaborative project with Australian steel manufacturer and TSA Accredited Recycler Molycop, UNSW, Crawford Boots, and the AMGC. The company's electric arc furnace (EAF) in Newcastle uses less energy and produces fewer emissions thanks to the new polymer injection process, which also prevents waste rubber from going to the landfill. The technology, which was created in association with Crawford Boots, the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), and the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, will now be made available for export to global EAF operators.

Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum), a pioneer in the sustainable recycling of end-of-life tires (ELTs) based on its patented pyrolysis technology, is taking the next step in its cooperation with Mercedes-Benz AG. In future, the company will recycle several hundred tonnes of used tires from the Mercedes-Benz Used Parts Centre every year. The company produces pyrolysis oil from the ELTs using its own innovative process. The pyrolysis oil produced is then supplied to the cooperation partner BASF SE, which uses the oil as a raw material in combination with biomethane in the production of virgin plastics for the manufacture of Mercedes-Benz vehicle components. Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG: “We are very pleased to take the next step in our cooperation with Mercedes-Benz. Through the chemical recycling of end-of-life tires from Mercedes-Benz vehicles, we can jointly reduce the use of fossil resources and ultimately close material cycles.”

Olivia Collier and Maslin Mellick, 2022 master of architecture graduates from the College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) in Denver, found inspiration for their senior capstone project in in the local tire landfill, called "Tire Mountain". Their project, which involved creating a "Clean-Tech Manufacturing Facility for Sustainable Building Products," was awarded the Colorado Green Building Guild (CGBG) Student Project of the Year. Although they initially researched nature's byproducts and society's waste to develop sustainable building materials, they ultimately focused on tires, resulting in their innovative invention and design. Both Collier and Mellick wanted to work on a project that would have a meaningful impact on their area. They decided to focus on landfills and found inspiration in the trash at Colorado Tire Recycling (CTR).

According to European Rubber Journal magazine’s article, the recovered carbon black (rCB) industry will require high levels of support and cooperation to fulfil on its potential to greatly decrease the environmental impact of the tire & rubber industry. In a report, Martin von Wolfersdorf – a renown carbon black expert from Berlin – lists a number of "mega challenges" that the still-developing business must overcome. Von Wolfersdorf estimated the average capacity of furnace processing plants in the EU at roughly 113 kilotons per annum (ktpa) in 2021 in a report presented* at the Tire Technology Expo 2023 conference.

The Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) announced that its preeminent biennial Rubber Recycling Symposium will take place October 4-5 at the Lord Nelson Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Tire and Rubber Association of Canada with the Symposium’s Host Sponsor Divert NS, and partner U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association cordially invite professionals and companies involved in tire manufacturing, rubber recycling, manufacturing of products from recycled rubber, end-of-life tire stewardship organizations, governments, and equipment manufacturers to participate in what had become one of the largest events of its kind.

According to VACO – the trade association for the tire and wheel industry in the Netherlands – sustainability is the 'core of the business' for many companies in the tire and wheel industry. The industry is working hard towards a fully circular chain. Vivianne Heijnen, Netherlands’ State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, visited tire retreading company Roline. She saw with her own eyes how renewing commercial vehicle tires can make an important contribution to saving raw materials and reducing CO2 emissions. Heijnen said she liked the fact that the sector itself is working hard on the way to the circular economy. The company visit is part of the knowledge and information campaign about retreaded tires that VACO launched at the end of 2022.

Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum), a pioneer in the sustainable recycling of end-of-life tires (ELT) based on its patented pyrolysis technology, has signed a contract with premium tire manufacturer Continental for the supply of recovered carbon black (rCB). With the conclusion of the contract, there are now long-term serial supply contracts for all of Pyrum's core products, in addition to the contract for the supply of pyrolysis oil to BASF SE. Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG: “The long-term supply contract is a huge step for our company. We have now concluded serial supply contracts for all core products. As with our pyrolysis oil, the demand for our rCB is much greater than we can currently meet. Therefore, we will expand our production capacities in the next few years and expect to triple our capacities already this year with the commissioning of production lines II and III at our site in Dillingen.