News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) recently announced it would fund innovative ideas that utilize end-of-life tires. According to the organization’s recent press release, TSA has dedicated a special budget for funding such projects. The organization also says TSA’s Market Development Fund is now open for applications. The scope is broad; from research grants to funding prototypes, projects and initiatives, the goal is to transform passenger and truck tires into new and innovative markets.

Birla Carbon, one of the leading manufacturers of carbon black globally, has announced its intent to bring down its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. The announcement is seen as a natural progression in Birla Carbon’s leadership in the area of Sustainability and circularity. Birla Carbon recently announced the availability of Sustainable Carbonaceous Materials (SCM) through the launch of its ContinuaTM brand. Birla Carbon’s net zero announcement aligns with The Paris Agreement, signed as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on climate-change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. It also aligns with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Tire Industry Project SDG Roadmap aimed at addressing health and environmental impacts associated with the life cycle impact of tires towards a sustainable future. Within the Aditya Birla Group, Birla Carbon is collaborating with sister companies to develop decarbonization initiatives through the Aditya Birla Science and Technology Center.

Southampton City Council, and highways partner Balfour Beatty Living Places, are pioneering the use of Rubber Modified Asphalt to reduce the environmental impact of highways maintenance activities. Southampton City Council recently approved an additional £10m investment to resurface residential roads and pavements across the city – boosting investment to a record £22 million over the next two years. As part of this program the council and its highways partner, Balfour Beatty Living Places, is pioneering a new method for resurfacing which puts waste rubber that would have otherwise ended up in landfill to good use.

The European authorities have introduced the limits for the PAHs in the recycled rubber used in synthetic turf pitches, and its content must not exceed 20 mg/kg. If the limit is met, a playground or a field can be considered safe for children and sportsmen. The evaluation of all possible risks has been conducted by The Risk Assessment Committee of the European Chemicals Agency, (ECHA). According to ECHA, it was important to make this research as the rubber contains controversial and potentiallly harmful PAH particles. If within the limits, the rubber that is made out of recycled end-of-life tires is safe and not harmful to people who spend much time training and playing on the grounds that contain this type of recycled material.

PRISM™ – a recycled rubber and plastic innovation company based in Kirkland, WA, United States – reports that its first-of-its-kind process converts recycled tire rubber into fully functional, sustainable, like-new rubber, attracting $23.5 million in total capital investments since the company’s founding in 2019. The latest round of investment comes from Seattle-based Columbia Pacific Advisors and the Baty Family. The new investment will provide PRISM™ the capital to expand their operations as well as their research and development efforts. Based in Kirkland, Washington, PRISM™ Worldwide has developed a patented clean technology that converts 100% of end-of-life tires (ELT) into functional, sustainable, like-new rubber and plastic polymers. The resulting product is called PRISM Thermoplastic Rubber (PTR™) and is used in the manufacture of a number of rubber and plastic products. This unique process is the result of thirty years of research and refinement inspired by the path to sustainability in the circular supply chain.

Tyrecycle reports the company is excited to be included in the NSW Environmental Trust’s latest round of grants as part of the rollout of the Australian Federal Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund. According to the recent social media statement, Tyrecycle has secured $2.9 million in funding for a $5.8 million expansion project at Erskine Park. This facility will provide the upgrade from 6 inch to 1.5 inch TDF, provide steel cleaning facilities, and introduce Off The Road (OTR) processing and debeading.

Ecuador is making attempts to move towards circular economy and to promote tire recycling. The first facilitator of that in the country is a non-profit organization Seginus launched in 2018. The company recently announced on its website that it celebrated 1000 days of its existence, and, all this time, they have been trying to give nd-of-life tires second life.

The Bristow tire recycling facility in Australia failed to comply with the environmental rules after massive fire broke out on its site. The local fire crew managed to contain it, however, the plant is now pressured by the Bristow Industrial Authority and the Department of Environmental Quality. The fire incident took place early this month. Almost half of the property has been destroyed as a result of the blaze that was raging for about 2 days.

Eni has signed an agreement with Ecopneus that will evaluate the technologies suitable for scrap tires boost. This move will help to obtain sustainable chemical and energy products. The new project relies on the principles of circular economy. The agreement strengthens the collaboration between Eni and Ecopneus , which have already carried out a project in Massafra (Taranto). During that project, the companies focused on asphalt modified with polymers and rubber powder from scrap tires.The initiative became possible thanks to a deal with the Municipality of Massafra reached in June 2020. Back then, Eni made the bitumen from the Taranto refinery available. Ecopneus, for its part, used its technical know-how for the diffusion of modified asphalts.