News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) – a Swedish tire pyrolysis operator and equipment supplier – will publish the notification of the Extraordinary General Meeting that is to be held to approve the three definitive agreements that form the basis of the strategic partnership with Michelin. The notification contains more detailed information on the agreements regarding, for example, guarantee commitments and Michelin’s right to use Enviro’s pyrolysis technology, which Enviro wants to bring to the attention of shareholders and the capital market through the press release.

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) releases its monthly publication, Natural Rubber Trends January 2021, available on its website. ANRPC says the outlook for world production of natural rubber (NR) is estimated to decline by 7.7%, year-on-year, to 12.782 million tons for 2020. The improved outlook for 2020 compared to the previous outlook published in last issue, is resulted from a better-than-expected production estimated from Thailand, India and Cambodia during the year. While the world demand for NR clocked at 12.827 million tons during 2020, contracted at 6.9%, year-on-year.

ECO Green Equipment – a renowned tire recycling equipment manufacturer from Utah, United States, was recently featured in an article by Hydraulics & Pneumatics magazine. The magazine says that by relying on hydraulic pumps, ECO Green’s unique cracker mill for rubber powder downsizing, Krumbuster, turns end-of-life tires into crumb rubber and super-fine rubber powder with record speed and a smaller environmental footprint. ECO Green Equipment produces turnkey industrial tire recycling solutions to help companies turn end-of-life tires into valuable marketable materials and goods. And as their revolutionary Krumbuster machine shows, they’re doing it in a cheap, fast and environment-friendly way.

Episode 20 of the Tyre Recycling Podcast features Giovanni Corbetta, CEO of Italian end-of-life tire management organization Ecopneus. In the new episode, Ewan Scott and Giovanni Corbetta discuss the state of rubberised asphalt from end-of-life tyres in Italy. In this podcast with Ecopneus CEO Giovanni Corbetta, one can learn how Italy has certified the use of rubberised asphalt and how it is expecting a considerable increase in use, taking tyre recycling closer to that elusive circular economy.

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) reported in January 2021 about putting tire manufacturers on notice that California wants them to explore alternatives to using zinc, a toxic chemical that harms aquatic life and burdens waterways. Zinc helps make rubber stronger, but also wears off tire tread and washes into storm drains, streams, rivers and lakes, threatening California fish and other aquatic organisms. DTSC, the State’s department missioned to work toward safer California households, workplaces, and products, intends to use its innovative Safer Consumer Products (SCP) program to work with tire manufactirers to look for an alternative to this harmful chemical. The SCP program seeks to remove toxic chemicals from products before they’re sold to consumers. This is more efficient and effective than issuing bans later, and, in this case, helps stormwater agencies cost-effectively meet state and federal water-quality requirements.

The National Circular Economy Roadmap found innovation is crucial to realising Australia’s largest economic gains, which will come from designing new products and materials, including through advanced manufacturing, and in embracing new business models that will create domestic and export markets for waste streams. This could more than triple job creation from resource recovery in Australia, where the recycling sector currently generates 9.2 jobs per 10,000 tonnes of waste, compared with only 2.8 jobs for the same amount of waste sent to landfill.

CalRecycle – the California’s recycling and waste management authority – will hold a virtual workshop on June 9, 2021 to provide an overview of the 2020 California Waste Tire Market Report which is to be published in summer 2021. The virtual workshop will be held from <b>9:30-11:30 AM PDT</b> as a webinar. This virtual workshop will provide stakeholders an opportunity to discuss the market trends before the 2020 California Waste Tire Market Report is finalized in July 2021. To register for the webinar please click here.

Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) – a Swedish tire pyrolysis equipment designer and operator – and a global tire manufacturer Michelin have signed three definitive agreements that form the basis of the companies’ strategic partnership. The agreements regulate the terms for a jointly owned plant for the end-of-life tire pyrolysis in Chile, the terms and conditions for Michelin’s use of Enviro’s patented technology, and payment for this, and the terms and conditions for payment to Enviro for deliveries of technology and services to the jointly owned plant in Chile. Before the agreements can enter into force, they must be approved by Enviro’s owners at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). Notice of the EGM will be published separately.

The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) – a Canadian organization responsible for waste management regulations including end-of-life tire recycling, is consulting on Ontario Tire Stewardship’s (OTS) plan to return remaining Used Tires Program surplus funds to stewards. The plan was developed by Grant Thornton Limited, the court appointed OTS liquidator, as a Surplus Funds Addendum to the Used Tires Program Wind-Up Plan. The proposed addendum includes: • which tire classes are eligible to share in the surplus • a proposed methodology to allocate funds to stewards • a proposal to address the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’ direction that the surplus funds returned to stewards be used to benefit consumers