News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Hercules Global SARL, a manufacturing company based in Sandiara, Senegal, has successfully concluded the construction of a recycling facility within the Sandiara Special Economic Zone (SEZ). This new plant utilizes advanced technology to transform motor oil and end-of-life tires into automotive lubricants and carbon black powder. The Sandiara plant encompasses three distinct units: a lubricant mixing facility with an annual capacity of 3 million tons, a tire-to-carbon black powder conversion plant, and an aluminum alloy plant capable of producing 10,000 metric tons per year.

Mathe Group, a South African company that recycles radial truck tires, has obtained a new Waste Management License for its new tire recycling facility worth over R65 million. The facility will complement its successful existing operation. Dr. Mehran Zarrebini, CEO of Mathe Group and its sister company Van Dyck, reveals ongoing negotiations with a potential investor, with the final investment amount contingent on the technology chosen. Simultaneously, Mathe Group is expanding its current facility, set to be operational in August. This expansion will boost their rubber crumb output from 25-30 tons to 45 tons and increase tire recycling from 700 radial truck tires daily to approximately 1,000 per day.

Conveyor belts, a common waste product in Australia, are targeted for transformative recycling efforts by Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA). According to TSA’s recent report, the company seeks to revolutionize the disposal practices of the bulk handling industry, which often sends used conveyor belts to landfill due to challenges in recycling these materials. With approximately 60,000 to 85,000 tons of conveyor belts generated annually, less than 1% are currently recycled, primarily due to their complex composition and handling difficulties.

In a recent study, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have unveiled a novel energy storage solution that harnesses the power of two of humanity's most familiar materials: cement and carbon black. These materials, when combined and integrated with water, create a supercapacitor — an alternative to traditional batteries — with the potential to revolutionize the field of renewable energy storage. The researchers envision a range of applications for this innovative energy storage system. For instance, they suggest that this supercapacitor could be seamlessly incorporated into the concrete foundation of buildings, enabling the storage of a full day's worth of energy without significantly altering construction costs or compromising structural integrity. Furthermore, the concept of embedding this technology into concrete roadways has been proposed, offering the potential for contactless recharging of electric vehicles as they traverse these roads.

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. announced a collaboration with Sumitomo Riko Company Limited and Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. This initiative is designed to further the development of recycling technologies, paving the way for a circular economy. In November 2022, Sumitomo Riko announced a joint development agreement with LanzaTech Global, Inc. (LanzaTech), a US-based carbon recycling firm known for its expertise in carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology. The three Sumitomo companies will join forces with LanzaTech aiming to pioneer groundbreaking technologies that enable a circular economy, transforming waste materials, including rubber, resin, urethane, and metal, into valuable resources.

Pascal Klein, CEO and largest single shareholder of Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum), held a total of 4,000 Pyrum shares on July 31, 2023 sold over the counter (OTC) to the member of the Supervisory Board Jürgen Opitz. Mr. Opitz thus increases his shareholding slightly and, including attributable shares, holds around 8% of Pyrum. Pascal Klein continues to hold around 10% of the company. The transaction was executed as an OTC transaction at a purchase price of EUR 50.00 per share and thus around 3.7% above the average of the last five trading days before the conclusion on Xetra (EUR 48.23). The corresponding notifications from Pyrum Innovations AG on proprietary transactions by executives are available on the company’s website.

The Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) announced the speakers for its highly anticipated 2023 Rubber Recycling Symposium which will take place on October 4-5 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “This year’s event is going to be one for the books. Our 2023 lineup is comprised of stellar speakers from key global markets including the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe; and brings some of the true experts and leaders in their respective fields,” says Carol Hochu, President and CEO of TRAC.

Ecolomondo Corporation – a cleantech company specializing in the commercialization of its Thermal Decomposition Process (TDP) proprietary recycling technology and the global deployment of TDP turnkey facilities – announced that Reactor 1of its 2-reactor TDP plant in Hawkesbury, Ontario, has been certified by TSSA (Technical Standards and Safety Authority) for the use of the syngas (process gas) produced from TDP production cycles as the energy source to fire up reactors.

According to the latest press release by Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), Australia recovers close to 90% of passenger, bus and truck tires, but the remaining 10% gap is critical to achieving national waste reduction goals, reducing carbon emissions and deterring tire eco-hazards in the future. As per TSA data, even 10% of unrecovered tires still pose an intolerable eco-hazard, and Australia stands the risk of regressing until it stops illegal dumping, stockpiling, and rogue waste operators.