News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Britain faces an environmental assault from the illegal disposal of end-of-life tyres as the impact of the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping comes home to roost. With 75% of the UK’s waste tyres heading to the Indian subcontinent via the Red Sea route, the UK government rightly condemns Houthi attacks against commercial shipping, yet at the same time, it is failing to address the environmental concerns that arise from this situation, warns the Tyre Recovery Association.

Pyrum Innovations AG – a pioneering company that sustainably recycles used tires with its globally patented, unique pyrolysis technology – continues to consistently pursue its growth course. At the beginning of January, a wholly owned subsidiary “Pyrum GreenFactory II GmbH” was founded to operate the second Pyrum plant in Saarland.

Andrew Meurer has joined Liberty Tire Recycling as its President and Chief Commercial Officer, bringing over 12 years of experience from Michelin, where he served as Vice President of Sales for the North American Passenger Tire Division. Prior to Michelin, Meurer worked at Procter and Gamble (P&G) and Kimberly-Clark. In his new role, Meurer will lead Liberty's initiatives to collaborate with tire manufacturers and retailers in developing sustainable solutions for end-of-life tires. The focus is on cost-effective solutions and better end markets aligned with the sustainability goals of industry players.

Lina Goodman, CEO of Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), expresses frustration over the lack of progress in tyre recycling initiatives. Despite efforts to get industry associations, retailers, and auto brands on board, there's still resistance, and the recycling rate for used car, bus, and truck tyres has dropped from 90% in 2019-20 to 80% in the past year. TSA faces challenges with freeloaders and illegal dumping, impacting legitimate recyclers. Goodman emphasizes the need for regulatory support to address these issues, urging all tyre importers to contribute to a recycling scheme and preventing businesses from engaging with rogue operators.

Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) announced that it has been selected for inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World), a globally recognized sustainability index, for two years in a row and for the fifth time in total. In addition, the Company has been selected for the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index (DJSI Asia Pacific), which is comprised of companies located in the Asia Pacific region, for 14 consecutive years.

Liberty Tire Recycling is setting its sights on 2030 as it enters the new year, working towards achieving its Zero Waste Goal. A pivotal strategy in reaching this milestone involves the development of sustainable products to ensure the beneficial reuse of all components derived from the tires collected, including rubber, steel, and fiber. In the year 2022, Liberty Tire actively participated in a project aimed at assessing the potential utilization of fibers from end-of-life tires to enhance rubberized asphalt. The introduction of recycled tire fiber into the company's SmartMIX™ product demonstrated a remarkable 43% improvement in strengthening and reinforcing the mix, effectively mitigating cracking.

On January 5, Liberty Tire Recycling announced the acquisition of “Empire Tire of Edgewater” in Orlando, Florida and “McGee Tire” located in Apopka, Florida. Liberty’s acquisition of Empire and McGee — leading central-Florida scrap tire collectors, graders, and haulers — expands the company's already robust footprint in the state into the growing central Florida market. Liberty will build on the success of these two companies by bringing its industry-leading approach to collections, processing, and recycling of end-of-life tires.

One of the milestones of the new year for AZuR is the establishment of a new, interdisciplinary project group. The fourth AZuR project group, initially consisting of 11 partners under the leadership of Martin von Wolfersdorff, aims to generate fresh ideas for the chemical recycling of used tires. Interdisciplinary AZuR project groups are intended to advance innovative recycling methods for used tires. Currently, there are already project groups focusing on retreading, material recycling of used tires, and rubberized asphalt. The composition of these groups, with partners from industry, trade, and academia, is chosen to incorporate as many relevant aspects and perspectives on a topic as possible.

Gradeall, renowned for its MK2 tyre baler and sidewall cutter, celebrated a landmark year in 2023 with its expansion into the American market. This move was marked with the sale of 10 MK2 tyre balers and their labour saving Inclined Tyre Balers to Trade Your Tires based in Jonesboro, Georgia. Trade Your Tires LLC, a major scrap tyre collection service in Georgia, has seamlessly integrated Gradeall’s balers across multiple sites. The MK2 Tyre Balers have been instrumental in transforming environmentally hazardous piles of waste car tyres into neatly packed, PAS108 spec bales, enhancing storage efficiency and reducing transportation costs.