News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Pyrum Innovations AG ("Pyrum"), a pioneer in the sustainable recycling of end-of-life tires based on its patented pyrolysis technology, has received the first delivery of end-of-life bicycle tires by Ralf Bohle GmbH in connection with the planned cooperation of both companies. With its Schwalbe brand and a turnover of EUR 225 million (2020), Ralf Bohle GmbH ("Bohle") is Europe's market leader for bicycle tires and inner tubes. In September, Pyrum and Bohle had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the objective of which is the long-term operation, expansion and further development of a feedstock recycling system for end-of-life bicycle tires by means of pyrolysis. At the same time, the aim is to use the recovered carbon black (rCB) resulting from the recycling of end-of-life tires as an ecological secondary raw material in the production of new Schwalbe products.

In a landmark commitment, Tyre Stewardship Australia Limited (TSA) recently announced that major OTR tire importers Bearcat, Bridgestone Mining Solutions, Goodyear, Kal Tire, Michelin and Yokohama have committed to joining the voluntary Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme (the Scheme) from January 2022. TSA stresses that some 140,000 tons of OTR tires are sold into the Australian market each year to industries including mining, agriculture, manufacturing, construction and aviation. Regrettably, less than 15 percent of end-of-life tires within this sector are recovered as a resource, with the majority ending up buried on site, dumped or in landfill.

Argus Media recently reported that Spanish trading company Nexolub has signed a 10-year offtake deal with a tire pyrolysis company Life for Tyres (L4T) to market advanced pyrolysis oil from a new plant in Puertollano. The project is expected to be completed in December and, reportedly, will become one of the biggest of its type in Europe. According to the press release by Argus Media, L4T says the €30 million plant will begin production of 10,000 tons per year of pyrolysis oil, made from recycled end-of-life tires, in the first quarter of 2022. The recovered oils can be used as an advanced biofuels feedstock under annex IX of the EU's recast Renewable Energy Directive (Red II).

Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) reports that more than 1240 end-of-life truck tires have been diverted from landfill, turned into crumb rubber, and used to repair roads across six Tasmanian municipalities in a partnership between Fulton Hogan and Tyre Stewardship Australia. TSA says it is the first-time bitumen modified with end-of-life tire material – which included the equivalent of 40,000 beer bottles of recycled glass, as well as the end-of-life truck tires – has been used in Tasmania. The ground-breaking project paves the way for an expansion of crumb rubber products on roads across the island.

Episode 27 of the Tyre Recycling Podcast features the R&D Director from Recykl Organizacja Odzysku S.A – Przemyslaw Zaprzalski. In this podcast, Ewan Scott interviews Przemyslaw Zaprzalski, who is also a part of the Polish Tyre Recyclers Association to find out why a country with an EPR scheme needs an association.

The institute of Public Works Engineering Austalasia (IPWEA) holds a pitchinar “Crumb Rubber Asphalt: Performance Made Affordable For Council Roads” on Wednesday, October 20, at 10:15 am (Victoria time). In its press release, IPWEA highlights that crumb rubber has long been the territory of state road authorities but a new specification allows an affordable version for the low traffic roads managed by councils. Traditional rubber asphalt in Australia has a high bitumen content making it more expensive than standard mixes & pushing rubber out of reach as a sustainable material.

In this edition, Jornadas Reciclaje will revolve around six thematic blocks: tire management and tire recycling regulations by country; tire renewal; tire treatment technologies; the applications of materials from recycling; energy recovery and alternative transformation technologies. The Conference will last with expert speakers from the industry and research, who will present their latest works on recycling. Some of them will be:

GRI Specialty Tires recently announced that its new tire model “Ultimate Green XT” became “one of the most environmentally friendly solid tires in the world.” The manufacturer says the new product is a premium-plus solid tire that goes beyond the norm to provide the ultimate in performance, sustainability, and efficiency. Powerful and robust, this tire epitomizes GRI's advanced engineering, research, development and manufacturing capabilities. The company said the tire contains 42.8% sustainable materials, which include bio-sourced and recycled materials. The tire is built with natural rubber silica, recovered carbon black and reclaimed rubber from end-of-life tires.

Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) – the end-of-life tire management authority in Australia reports that its 2020/21 Annual Report is now available for download. The Annual Report showcases what the TSA has achieved, as well as its future vision. The underlying theme being accountability across the tire value chain. TSA highlights it is proud of its achievements - the organization’s connection and participation with the tire industry this year has been significant. Importantly, the report provides transparency to the TSA’s broad range of stakeholders by acknowledging the wins, and not shying away from the challenges the organization and the industry face.