News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Signus Ecovalor engages in eco-friendly tire recycling by converting ELT textile fibers into BHET using high-temperature, high-pressure ethylene glycol. Yet, efficiency faces challenges when contaminants like rubber are present. Pure PET textiles achieve an 85% efficiency, while contaminated tire textiles reach only 20-30%.

According to the article by Tyre and Rubber Recycling magazine, the T8 Exemption, originally designed to support small businesses in the UK tire recycling sector, has been misused and abused, leading to negative impacts on legitimate, permitted recycling businesses. The article highlights that the T8 Exemption allows operators to store and handle large quantities of tires without proper oversight, leading to uncontrolled exports of tires, which undermines recycling efforts and environmental regulations.

On September 25, the European Commission has introduced a ban on crumb rubber infill, coinciding with the ban on intentionally added microplastics. This move addresses concerns about the use of crumb rubber in sports fields, which initially centered on the PAH content. Research revealed elevated PAH levels, even after reductions, prompting further investigation. The European Chemicals Agency's Risk Assessment Committee expanded the definition of microplastics to include any polymer under 5mm, encompassing most crumb rubber infill.

With the support of the Metropolitan City of Turin an international workshop on rubberized asphalt will be held on 28 September 2023, from 16.00 to 18.30, in Corso Inghilterra 7, Turin. The workshop will give a clear and updated picture of the limits and opportunities of the use of Rubberised Asphalt in Europe.

With the support of the POLITECNICO of TURIN an international workshop on the Use of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) will be held on 29 September 2023 from 9.30 to 15.30, in Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Turin. The EU Circular Economy Principles for Buildings Designs underline the importance, among the others on the use of recycled materials and their further recyclability.

Tokai Carbon CB will raise prices on all carbon black grades in North America effective November 1st, 2023, or as contracts allow. The company will also roll all surcharges associated with their US consent decree projects into their permanent pricing structure. This price increase is necessary to cover the increasing costs of carbon black production in the US. Tokai Carbon CB has invested significantly over the last five years to support US customers.

According to the Roads & Infrastructure Australia magazine, a collaborative project led by Alex Fraser, ecologiQ, and Entyr has resulted in an innovative alternative for asphalt production in Victorian roads. This initiative aims to address the significant issue of end-of-life tires in Australia, with approximately 70 percent of these tires now being recycled. Alex Fraser, a key player in this venture, developed TyrePave rCB (Recovered Carbon Black), a sustainable alternative to fine ground limestone in asphalt production.

The ESG report published by Hankook Tire & Technology is now available for viewers. Hankook Tire’s ESG activities are widely recognized by customers as well as stakeholders throughout the world, such as global evaluation agencies. Hankook Tire & Technology publishes this report to transparently disclose the company’s ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) achievements for 2022 and our mid/long-term strategies and to gather feedback from stakeholders.

Orion S.A., a global specialty chemicals producer, the company is investing €12.8 million – including €6.4 million in funding from the German government and the European Union – to further develop and demonstrate a climate-neutral process for producing carbon black from alternative carbon sources. The technology is designed to improve Orion’s yield and throughput in the production of carbon black using circular feedstocks and thus potentially reduce the carbon footprint of the process by a significant amount.