News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) has published its 2022/23 Annual Report. The annual report showcases some of the major achievements of Australia's Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme and how it must pave the way for a circular economy for end-of-life tires. In brief, Australia’s major achievements are:

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.

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%.

As we announced in our previous article, Franklin Raj, the pyrolysis business analyst, and Yogesh Gaikwad, technical consultant for carbon black, participated in the Workshop on End-of-Life Tires (ELT) Management in India on behalf of Weibold’s team. Our experts made a presentation on “Material and Energy Recovery and the Latest Innovations in ELT Recycling Technologies”.

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.