News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Where the rubber hits the kerb: Australia's first recycled kerbs developed for the Pakenham Level Crossing Removal Project. Victoria's Big Build has partnered with Porous Lane and the University of Melbourne Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology to develop and trial Australia’s first recycled kerbs, with funding from Sustainability Victoria.

Liberty Tire Recycling recently published its ESG Report. Liberty says its ESG Zero Waste Goal requires digging deep to uncover every opportunity to increase circularity within our business model and the recycling industry.

This January, the Automotive World magazine published an article by Krzysztof Wróblewski, CEO and CTO of Contec – a successful tyre pyrolysis company from Poland. In the article, Krzysztof writes that “Circularity in automotive and tyre product designs will increase innovation, business opportunities, supply security, and industry cost savings.”

ICARBON, a start-up company established with the support of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), is an R&D company that focuses on the development of technologies that will enable the sustainable recycling of industrial waste rubbers and formulation studies for their compounding

TRA calls on UK government to do the right thing, support British operators and end polluting export of end-of-life tyres. According to the recent press release by the British Tyre Recovery Association (TRA), Britain should face up to the reality of its actions if it is to live up to His Majesty’s Government rhetoric, says the Tyre Recovery Association. "The disruption caused by Houthi attacks on international shipping have lifted the veil many have been choosing to ignore, the UK is not building a circular economy but double dipping with unnecessary carbon leakage," – the press release says.

Synthos – a chemical producer and a major player in the global synthetic rubber market – will be actively participating in the upcoming Tyre Emissions & Sustainability Europe 2024 conference. The conference, scheduled for February 28-29 in Prague, addresses environmental challenges and aligns with the upcoming Euro 7 legislation in 2025, which imposes limits on tire wear to mitigate microplastics. Synthos is a Gold Sponsor of the conference, underlining its commitment to supporting initiatives that promote positive change in the industry.

According to Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), Australia currently recovers 80% of its used car, bus and truck tyres, but in recent years its recovery rates have been trending downward. The country still needs to find solutions for the remaining 11.3 million tyres not recovered every year. In the recent Planet Ark Environmental Foundation article, TSA explains how Australia can close the loop on tyres and support the circular economy:

This year, Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) worked with a branding agency Here Be Monsters to create a TV commercial for TSBC's target audience that focused on our key messages: that tires should be recycled and kept out of landfills, where to take end-of-life tires, and where to find information on tire recycling in British Columbia. See below this truly creative solution:

Recycled Rubber Coalition reports that while electric vehicles (EVs) can help reduce carbon emissions, there is an unexpected environmental issue emerging from the rapid adoption of EVs. While they offer many benefits, EVs are also significantly heavier than equivalent gas-powered vehicles due to the weight of their batteries. Combined with increased acceleration rates, these effects can cause EVs to use tires up to 30% faster.