News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Following the call for tender for renewed end-of-life tire collection and tire recycling launched in 2020 by Aliapur – French end-of-life tire collection and recycling authority, –20 of France’s administrative districts will change tire collector for the period 2021-2024. Among them are: Ain, Allier, Ardennes, Corrèze, Doubs, Drôme, Gers, Jura, Loire, Lot, Manche, Marne, Haute-Marne, Morbihan, Rhône, Somme, Vendée, Yonne, Hauts-de-Seine and Val-D'Oise. According to Aliapur, this change will be transparent and easy: automotive industry professionals will be automatically linked with their new tire collector via the extranet, Aliapur’s database “Aliabase”, the liaison tool that connects Aliapur to its subcontractors.

Recycling tires into materials such as steel-free crumb rubber and fine rubber powder used to be a profitable venture; however, due to market saturation in developed economies, tire recycling companies might want to shift their focus from raw materials to potentially higher-priced consumer goods made from recycled rubber or even virgin rubber which can be replaced by tire-derived materials. The first and so far one of the most viable choices of tire recyclers would be investing in presses and molds to produce molded goods from crumb rubber or rubber powder. Another options include more complex technologies, e.g. blending recycled rubber powder with polyethylene or polypropylene to produce thermoplastic elastomers (TPE).

The Tire Industry Association’s (TIA) Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) has introduced an easy-to-use glossary of key reference terms and definitions used in the tire and rubber recycling industry. The guide, which also contains terms and definitions covering other tire segments, was developed to improve knowledge and communication and serve as a valuable resource for anyone working in the tire recycling industry, said Dick Gust, EAC chairman. As more businesses become concerned with sustainability, the glossary will help to define terms and technologies frequently used in the tire recycling industry and aid state regulators when drafting rules and regulations to manage the flow of scrap tires, he said. Tire dealers also will find it a handy reference when dealing with customers who wish to learn more about where scrap tires go when removed from their vehicles.

Tyre Stewardship Australia – the renowned for its success end-of-life tyre recycling authority in Australia – launched a demonstration project aimed at increasing the use of recycled crumb rubber on local roads across Tasmania is helping pave the way to a more sustainable future. The authority reports that more than 1240 end-of-life truck tyres will be diverted from landfill and mixed with the equivalent of 40,000 recycled glass bottles to produce crumb rubber asphalt in the ground-breaking project – a first for Tasmania – in a partnership between local road specialist Fulton Hogan and Tyre Stewardship Australia.

An end-of-life car and truck tire collection program was launched by Dmitrovsky Rubber Plant (Dmitrovsky Zavod RTI) in June 2020. The company rallied together with Dunlop Tire CIS to open joint tire collection points in Moscow and Tver regions. According to the company, its tire collection program was recognized as the most sound green project based on its environmental impact, and it was awarded by the prize “Change Management, Visionaries" in the category Environment & Business.

In the article “Is the Road to Sustainable Asphalt Paved with Tires?” published on December 11, 2020 in the ASC Central Sceince, Raleigh McElvery – a contributor to Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society – writes that “Mixing waste rubber from scrap tires into asphalt binder is one way to make pavement more environmentally friendly.” The article touches upon the topic of environment and shows how rubberized asphalt from end-of-life tires proves to be more environment-friendly than the common asphalt concrete. McElvery writes:

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.