News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) received in February 2022 an order for pyrolysis oil from the subsidiary of a leading US oil company for production tests. The subsidiary has now informed Enviro that the production tests were successful. The oil was delivered in June following its approval in accordance with the EU REACH directive, a condition for a final deal. The subsidiary has since carried out production tests of the delivered oil to determine how suitable it is for the production of various biofuels. These tests have now been finalized and Enviro has been informed by the client that the tests were successful.

RubberGreen – a technology company developing solutions to upcycle rubber materials into final compound for high-end applications – announced the close of an additional €2.7 million equity financing. The financing round is co-led by TREЇS, GREEN.er and IMBC. The company will use the funds to accelerate the commercial deployment of the patented technology RubberGreenCycle. This proprietary upcycling process is a disruptive solution for the safe reuse of industrial and postconsumer rubber waste.

Genan – one of the largest end-of-life tire recycling companies in the world – reports that the political discussion about the use of rubber granulate in artificial turf pitches has now been launched by the EU Commission. In its recent article, Genan informs that different committees under the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have been asked to provide their assessments during the process leading up to the Commission recommendation. These committees include the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC), which recommends a total ban on the use of rubber granulate with a 6-year phase-in period, and the Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC), which in addition to the ban proposes the alternative of installing Risk Management Measures (RMM) on pitches to prevent spreading.

Wastefront AS – a Norwegian waste tire recycling company – in collaboration with leading Swedish chemical engineering company Hulteberg Chemistry & Engineering AB – announced that it has been awarded a €2 million grant from Eureka Eurostars, the world’s largest funding-program for business collaborations in creating innovative products for commercialisation, and the Norwegian Research Council and the Swedish Innovation Agency. The total project-funding amounts to €2.076 million: €1.038 million from Eurostars and €1.038 million from project partners.

Spanish Greenval Technologies – a Spanish company offering end-of-life tire (ELT) solutions – is to build a tire recycling facility in partnership with Spanish tire specialist Grupo Soledad. According to Grupo Soledad’s president, Salvador Pérez, the plant is contemplating a 20 million euro investment. Pyrolysis is the foundation of the transformation process. It generates six times less CO2 than any other combustion process, making it one of the cleanest energy sources for turning end-of-life tires into high-value petrochemicals and alternative fuels.

Fulton Hogan Australia – a large infrastructure construction, roadworks and aggregate supplier company in Australasia and New Zealand – has recently been certified as a Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) Circular Economy Collaborator (Manufacturer). This is a Federal Government Accredited certification which recognises Fulton Hogan for playing a role in utilising Australian generated tire derived materials, contributing to a sustainable society.

Extending the life of commercial vehicle tires (for truck and bus) through tire retreading offers unprecedented opportunities. Sustainability, economical use of raw materials and the circular economy should be reasons for both business and government to consider tires retreading. Nevertheless, the market share of retreaded commercial vehicle tires in the Netherlands is considerably lower than in neighboring countries. Currently, approximately 20% of passenger and freight transport in the Netherlands runs on retreaded tires. In Germany this is 28%, in France 35% and in the US even half of them are on retreaded tires. So in the Netherlands there is still a lot to gain.

Waste tires can become problematic if they are illegally dumped or stored inappropriately, with poorly managed stockpiles potentially creating fire risks and pest problems. The Tasmanian Government is committed to investing in the resource recovery sector and driving the establishment of a circular economy in Tasmania. The Tasmanian Government is tackling the management of waste tires head-on by launching the Waste Tire Reprocessing Grant Program

Bridgestone – a global leader in tires and sustainable mobility solutions – is planning to help reduce the carbon footprint of its commercial vehicle line of tires by producing radio-tagged tires in 2024. Tires on vehicles like trucks and buses will be linked to a cloud-based system that is designed to help clients maximize the tires’ lifespan and minimize their carbon footprints. By the end of 2022, Bridgestone intends to begin expanding its plant in Warren County, Tennessee. As part of this renovation, it will install production equipment capable of embedding tires with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.