News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

North West Rubber Ltd. ("NWR"), a renowned manufacturer and distributor of recycled and virgin rubber matting and other flooring materials, was acquired by TorQuest Partners. NWR has three manufacturing sites in Abbotsford, BC, Brantford, ON, and Houston, TX, as well as a tire-recycling joint venture, Evolve Recycling Inc., also in Brantford, ON, and a number of key manufacturing alliances in Asia. North West Rubber is a leading manufacturer and distributor of recycled and virgin rubber matting and other flooring materials for consumer, farm, athletic facility, and industrial applications. TorQuest Partners is a private equity fund manager based in Canada. TorQuest is currently investing from TorQuest Partners Fund V, a C$1.375 million fund that closed in March 2020, with more than CA$3 billion in equity money under management.

To further increase its contribution to reducing the harmful effects of industrial waste on the environment, APM Terminals Apapa, Nigeria has started a pilot using paving blocks made from recycled used tyres for exterior paving. This was announced in an APM’s recent press release from December 2, 2021. Studies have shown that recycling tires helps reduce the effects of harmful chemicals on the environment. Recycling also prevents tires from becoming breeding grounds for disease-carrying pests such as malaria mosquitoes. The company is running a pilot project with a Nigerian recycling facility, Freetown Waste Management Recycle Limited, to use the paving blocks at the terminal and potentially recycle the terminals own used tires in the future. Following the pilot the sustainability of the solution will be evaluated.

The BlackCycle consortium organized a workshop with 120 worldwide industry leaders, legislators, academics, H2020 project coordinators, and institutional representatives at the Michelin technical center in Ladoux, France, close to the end of November 2021. The workshop's goal was to explore and share ideas about how to implement a circular economy in Europe. BlackCycle stated during the event that it has created the world's first sustainable carbon blacks (sCB) for use in tire applications in a carbon black furnace reactor using oils derived from the pyrolysis of end-of-life tires. The cyclical process that BlackCycle intends to implement is the creation of this sustainable material from end-of-life tires.

Grupo Antolin presents the first headliner substrate produced by thermoforming a PU foam with materials made from urban & post-consumer plastic waste and end of life tires. Working with recycled materials is a natural step in the company’s commitment to develop a sustainable business. The aim is to reduce waste and energy consumption during manufacturing and to meet the demand for eco-friendly interiors, something increasingly valued in car buyers' choices, according to Grupo Antolin.

According to the recent press release by Bolder Industries, the company is to launch an additional tire pyrolysis plant in Terre Haute, Indiana (United States). The Terre Haute facility will begin production in early 2023, increasing the company's current capacity. Bolder Industries, Inc., the pioneer of advanced sustainable chemical manufacturing sourced from end-of-life tires, today announced the purchase of the former Pyrolyx facility in Terre Haute, Indiana. The 66,000-square-foot location, which ceased operations in March 2020, will be retrofitted with Bolder Industries' proprietary solution, utilizing the currently permitted facility to increase Bolder's manufacturing capacity within the first year of operations. The initial phase is expected to be completed in early 2023 and is estimated to divert approximately three million tires from landfill or burning.

Sussan Ley, the Federal Minister for the Environment, has unveiled a new $10 million state-of-the-art tire recycling plant in Western Sydney's Erskine Park. The plant, according to TireCycle CEO Jim Fairweather, will be able to treat the tens of thousands of tons of end-of-life tires that were previously shipped offshore, resulting in adverse environmental effects. "It's a huge win for the environment and Australia's circular economy," Fairweather said, adding that "end-of-life tires will now be given a new lease on life." The facility will recycle end-of-life tires into products such as tire-derived fuel and rubber crumb for use in roads, flooring tiles and sports surfaces. The factory is expected to produce 10,000 tons of rubber crumb and 40,000 tons of tire-derived fuel per year (TDF).

Tyre Stewardship Australia – the end-of-life tire management authority designing programs and regulations for tire recycling and material recovery in the country – reports that ReMade was launched at the beginning of December in Australia. ReMade is an initiative by the Australian Government to help industry transform recycled waste into productive outcomes. Tyre Stewardship Australia says it couldn’t be more supportive of the initiative as it believes that by turning waste products like end-of-life tires into a valuable commodity, will help drive a more circular economy, and create accountability across the tire value chain.

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Following its traditionally successful track record, another Recovered Carbon Black Conference organized by Smithers turned out to be a great success. The conference took place on November 22-23, 2021, in Amsterdam (The Netherland). Recognized within the industry as an essential platform for experts and innovators, the program offered a 360-degree perspective of the Recovered Carbon Black market. Key industry leaders from around the world shared their expertise, case studies and latest findings.