News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Boral Australia marked last week’s 50th anniversary of World Earth Day (22 April) by reinforcing their commitment to the circular economy with the country-wide launch of INNOVO asphalt system. Latin for ‘renew’, INNOVO is a sustainable asphalt system designed so customers can customize a unique asphalt mix containing all, one or a number of salvaged materials such as recycled end-of-life tire rubber, recycled plastic, recycled glass and other materials that would otherwise go to landfill.

The Malta Independent reports that the The Nationalist Party has found doubtful efficiency of the state agency Wasteserv to process and export end-of-life tires. There are allegations that this caused harm to small and medium-sized businesses, which is “a symptom of the government's persistent lack of planning in the waste management sector”.

Reportedly, the fire that broke out in the morning, around 10:00, and covered the entire unit within several minutes. At the time of the incident, the unit was closed due to lockdown in response to spreading COVID-19. Police officers from Savli police station were among the first ones who reachedt the burning plant and cooperated with fire department and district administration to bring the situation under control. Local sources said that around seven fire fighting vehicles from Savli municipality, Manjusar GIDC, Halol municipality, Emergency Response Centre (ERC) at Darjipura and a pharma company were pressed into service to control the blaze.

According to Kal Tire – a renowned tire manufacturing company committed to sustainability – its tire recycling plant in Chile is expected to be constructed in 2020. The company says that construction of its recycling plant for OTR, mining and industrial tires began in May 2019. As a project location, Industrial Quarter of La Negra, Antofagasta, Chile was chosen. The size of the area is 60,000 m2. Kal Tire says that it will allow to generate greater employment, give the area environmental benefits and reduce carbon footprint. The plant was designed and manufactured in Europe, and recycles end-of-life OTR and mining tires through the process of thermal conversion (pyrolysis / thermolysis). Reportedly, the plant will be capable of recycling tires of 4 meters in diameter and more than 4 tons of weight.

Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) together with the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and Victorian Department of Transport are turning used tyres into a 1.4km road in Bentleigh using various mixes of crumb rubber asphalt. This innovative project aligns with Vic Government’s Recycled First Policy and is another example of how good partnerships are helping turn a tyre waste stream into a resource.

Swedish tire pyrolysis operator and equipment manufacturer Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) reports about a long-term strategic partnership with the French global tire manufacturer Michelin which resolved to conduct a private placement of approximately SEK 32.5 million (EUR 2.97 million), by which Michelin, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Michelin Ventures SAS, will subscribe for shares in Enviro corresponding to holdings of 20% after the issue. The strategic partnership is intended to include, among other things, the establishment of a jointly owned recycling plant for end-of-life tires and joint development work to expand the possibilities for the materials that are recycled using Enviro’s technology.

Phoenix Innovation Technology works with world class rubber labs and research institutions that have validated its Regenerated Rubber in several high-volume technical compounds. These compounds include: OTR, Agricultural and Semi Truck tire tread compounds as well as industrial rubber compounds such as conveyor belts and anti-vibration engine mounts, and various EPDM applications. Phoenix Innovations highlights that Regenerated Rubber is high quality and delivers consistent performance that is optimized for the specific application. For compounders and manufacturers, using Regenerated Rubber is an opportunity to save on raw material costs and improve sustainability.

Aliapur – a French end-of-life tire management authority – recently announced a call for applications to participate in a tender to renew end-of-life tire collection and recycling contacts for 2021–2024. The authority says that the estimated volume of end-life-tires to be processed in this time span will reach over 380,000 tons of tires. The authority highlights that there will be several consultations with regard to the tender, and they will take place this April. According to Aliapur, Tender arrangements are expected to start in the very beginning of the next year.

In its recent press release, Ecopneus – Italian non-profit end-of-life tire management authority – informed about the reduction of the environmental contribution levied on new tires, greater controls on online tire purchases, better service for tire specialists and more stringent collection obligations to avoid any risk of end-of-life tire disposal in the open environment. These are the main novelties of the new Decree for the management of ELTs (DM 182/2019), introduced to improve the end-of-life tire recycling industry in Italy. Ecopneus says that this way the industry will have clearer and more transparent rules for all parties involved, for the benefit of operators and for an increasing recycling of tires.