News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

The EU's decision to no longer let banned flame retardant chemicals to enter recycling streams and new products is applauded by environmental health groups. The European Union (EU) has taken a significant step toward improving recycling by outlawing the recycling of items that contain PBDEs, a group of hazardous flame retardants that are prohibited everywhere.

Pyrum Innovations AG ("Pyrum"), a pioneer in the sustainable recycling of end-of-life tyres (ELT) based on its patented pyrolysis technology, has entered into a partnership agreement with the technology group Siemens. The aim of the partnership is to further promote, optimise and scale Pyrum's pyrolysis plants technologically and economically with Siemens' digitalisation and automation portfolio. Pyrum and Siemens share the goal of developing sustainable technologies as well as promoting their respective economic growth.

The European Rubber Journal (ERJ) reports that tire recycling is gaining a "remarkable traction" in the EU. Max Craipeau, the leader of the BIR says that tires and rubber have quickly developed into "one of the most dynamic divisions of the recycling business." According to Max Craipeau, who is also a head of Greencore Resources Ltd. in Hong Kong, the demand for recycled rubber is expected to grow five times in Europe over the next 25 years. Tires and rubber, often considered to be the "poor relation" of recycling, have suddenly emerged as "one of the most dynamic parts of the recycling industry," Craipeau stated at a meeting of the Bureau of International Recycling's (BIR) tires & rubber committee on May 31.

Bridgestone Americas and Dow have partnered to develop B-SEALS, a recyclable, silicone-based tire sealant technology. The extended mobility solution will be introduced at the upcoming 2022 Silicone Expo in Detroit (June 21-23), and represents more than four years of joint research and development between the two companies.

Birla Carbon – one of the leading global manufacturers of sustainable carbon-based solutions – is participating in the Deutsche Kautschuk-Gesellschaft, DKT 2022, that is being held in Nuremberg, Germany, from June 27 – 30, 2022. Birla Carbon will showcase Continua™ Sustainable Carbonaceous Materials at the event,

Granuband continues converting used tires into new rubber products. Granuband – a Dutch producer of various rubber products – develops and manufactures new circular rubber products from the end-of-life tires that have been collected and recycled by the company itself.

Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) joins the global tire recovery community in congratulating the Tyrewise Working Group, Auto Stewardship NZ and the New Zealand government for establishing the first nationwide regulated tire product stewardship scheme, with mandatory industry participation.

Anyone who works in the tire recycling industry will be familiar with the overarching statistics; that the UK generates around 55 million end-of-life tires (ELTs) annually. Whilst there is some recent information that suggest ELTs are being exported in higher volumes than ever, a ban on placing tires into landfill since 2006, has seen the tire recycling and recovery sector become big business. Now, the UKs first continuous pyrolysis plant for ELTs in Worksop, UK, is set to be a game changer for tire recycling and recovery in the UK and beyond.

Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) welcomes Ascenso Tyres as the newest contributor to Australia’s Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme (TPSS). Ascenso manufactures and distributes specialist Off-The-Road (OTR) tires for the agriculture, construction, material handling and forestry sectors.