News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

In addition to the new Register of Producers, the most notable developments are the regulation of the classification and sale of second-hand tires and the incorporation of tires with a diameter greater than 1,400 mm into the expanded responsibility of the producer, which are added to the new structure rates. According to Signus, these tires are distinguished because in their nomenclature the letter S is added to the category to which it belongs (For example F1S) and they have their own Ecovalor amounts.

In late December 2020, Swedish tire pyrolysis operator and equipment manufacturer Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) reported about updates to its long-term collaboration agreement with Michelin. According to the press release, as part of the strategic partnership negotiations, Enviro and the French global tire manufacturer Michelin have agreed on the principle terms for establishing the first jointly owned recycling plant and a license agreement regulating the terms of use for Enviro’s tire recycling (pyrolysis) technology as well as subsequent compensation. The agreement is subject to the approval of Enviro’s owners at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) and the closing will be done after the EGM. Notice of an EGM will be sent out separately, Enviro highlighted.

Carlton Forest Group – a tire pyrolysis equipment manufacturer and operator from the UK – reports that its pyrolysis and recycling engineer, that has dedicated his entire career to managing waste streams around the world, has won a UK Lifetime Achievement Award. Rory Hughes, Technical Director at our IRR Waste 2 Energy, part of Carlton Forest Group, scooped the award at the UK Business Tech Awards as the virtual ceremony on 25th November drew to a conclusion.

According to the magazine, the manufacturer believes RFID technology is a cost-effective way of tracking tires from cradle to grave and a significant contributor to predictive maintenance services. In addition, such a system will enhance driver safety by allowing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems such as ESP to fine tune responses according to specific tire characteristics. At the end of a tire’s life, the technology could be used to improve recycling rates, allow proof of recycling and help improve the efficiency of energy recovery programs, the article says. Michelin is working with car manufacturers to develop algorithms that could pave the way for several new advances as cars become more connected. Dealers and workshops will also benefit as exact tire identification and data will be easily accessible, reducing fitting errors and helping with stock control.

Wastefront AS – a Norewegian tire pyrolysis company – announced an exclusive long-term project delivery partnership with Devaltec LLC, a project developer and solutions provider in new and sustainable energies from the United States. Devaltec, which was first introduced to Wastefront by Vitol in 2019, will now act as the primary strategic partner to Wastefront and will co-lead the development of all upcoming projects for the next 5 years. Devaltec is contracted to successfully deliver production from multiple plants of minimum 1000 MTD, commencing with Wastefront’s first waste tire recycling plant in Sunderland, due for completion in 2023.

This December, Jamaica Observer published an article revealing that Jamaica’s Government has been implementing a multimillion-dollar program in partnership with Carib Cement to get rid of end-of-life tires at the island's dumps starting with the two million that are at the Riverton City disposal site in St. Andrew. Outlining the arrangement at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, minister with responsibility for environment and climate change, Pearnel Charles Jr., said the old tires pose an environmental threat and are a major contributor to the numerous fires that have occurred at Riverton over the years.

CM Shredders – one of the leading manufacturers of tire recycling equipment in the world based in the United States – tells about its most versatile and cost effective machine for recycling end-of-life tires into rubber chips. Designed for fast and efficient downsizing of end-of-life tires, The CM Whole tire to chip system has two speeds, one for passenger tires and one for semi-tractor trailer tires. According to the manufacturer, the system can process whole tires in a single step while producing clean cut and consistently sized tire chips at high capacities.

The Committee for Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC) has adopted its opinion on a landmark restriction proposal, which would ban microplastics in products such as cosmetics, detergents, fertilisers and could lead to a ban of its use as soft infill on artificial turf sports pitches. It would prevent the release of 500 000 tonnes of microplastics into the environment over 20 years. The adoption of SEAC’s opinion follows an earlier opinion by the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) in June 2020. Both committees concluded that an EU-wide restriction under the EU’s chemicals legislation REACH is the most appropriate means to address the risks of billions of small, solid plastic particles polluting our environment. SEAC also concluded on the expected benefits and costs to society of the proposal.

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), recently released its report “Natural Rubber Trends & Statistics, October- November 2020”. The ANRPC says the world production of natural rubber (NR) fell by 8.5%, year-over-year, to 10.098 million tons during Jan-Oct 2020. Expecting a 10.8%, year-over-year, drop during Nov-Dec 2020, the production during the full year 2020 is expected at 12.597 million tons, down 9.0% from the previous year. ANRPC’s revised outlook represents a downward revision by 304,000 tons or 2.2 percentage points from the outlook for 2020 which ANRPC had reported in September 2020. The outlook reported in Sep 2020 was 12.901 million tons at 6.8% fall. In 2021, the world production is anticipated to recover by posting an 8.6% increase to 13.678 million tons. Even if it increases at the anticipated 8.6% rate, the output in 2021 will remain lower than that in 2019 (13.842 million tons) or 2018 (13. 839 million tons).