News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

According to Estonian source ERR News, Swedish waste disposal company Ragn-Sells AS intends to establish a tire-shredding plant, likely in Lääne-Viru County, to recycle end-of-life rubber into oils for Enefit Power plants. This move aims to alleviate a major tire dump near Tartu. Pyrolysis process is used to transform end-of-life tires into a usable raw material. Tire importers meanwhile have set up a new producer responsibility organization, which would collect end-of-life tires due to be shredded, as they say they are not satisfied with the Rehviringlus, the organization currently tasked with recycling tires.

Entyr Limited – an Australian company delivering a complete circular solution for end-of-life tires – has raised $7.9 million AUD in capital to further develop its Stapylton plant in Queensland and achieve full commercial capacity. The company utilizes a patented thermal process to produce high-quality products from recycled tires, which are already being sold in commercial markets. Entyr aims to complete the transition to full commercialization this year. The funds raised will support the expansion of Entyr's Stapylton facility and facilitate the final stage of site commercialization. CEO David Wheeley expressed gratitude for the support from both new and existing investors.

The next edition of The Tire Cologne to take place in June 2024. The upcoming event will emphasize the importance of the circular economy in the tire industry. With the aim of showcasing companies involved in tire retreading and recycling, a dedicated Circular Economy themed area will be located prominently in Hall 7 at THE TIRE COLOGNE. This area will feature exhibitions, talks, and focus islands that highlight various stages of the circular economy, from tire collection to retreading and recycling.

Classic Rubber Flooring – a rubber flooring tiles manufacturer and supplier based in Ahmedabad, India – is expanding its recycling capabilities at its facility in Mehsana, Gujarat. The company specializes in manufacturing flooring for various applications, such as gyms, play areas, swimming pools, and athletic stadiums, using granules derived from waste tires. In the past, they relied on sourcing granules externally or importing them. However, in 2018, they decided to produce their own granules and partnered with Fornnax Technology, a Gujarat-based company specializing in waste tire recycling machinery. Classic Rubber installed a 1.5-ton-per-hour capacity granulator from Fornnax in 2019, followed by a secondary shredder in 2020 to meet their growing needs.

Bolder Industries, Inc. and Soucy Techno announced today the signing of a formal multi-year supply agreement for BolderBlack®, the premier sustainable carbon black alternative. This is an extension of a previous agreement made between Bolder and Soucy and a result of Bolder’s ability to deliver product quality and consistency over many years – signaling a major achievement in the recovered carbon black industry. The partnership between Bolder and Soucy began in 2016 with a co-development of plastic masterbatch at Soucy’s Sherbrooke-based lab. Since then, Soucy has continued to expand the use of BolderBlack in their plastics components for agricultural and industrial vehicle sectors with a 1,000% increase in volume offtake of BolderBlack over the last 5 years.

Wastefront AS, the Norwegian waste tire recycling company, announced a strategic partnership with global energy storage infrastructure provider VTTI, for investment of up to USD 43 million and an agreement to reach a final investment decision for eight global sites within a five year period. VTTI – backed by leading energy and infrastructure players Vitol, IFM Investors and ADNOC (the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) – is one of the world’s largest independent energy storage infrastructure providers with key locations around the world. The investment in Wastefront and planned investments in future plants are part of VTTI’s global growth strategy in which circular products are an important pillar, with an ambition to conduct more than 50% of its activities in new and transitional energy sources by 2028.

Register for TRAC's 2023 Rubber Recycling Symposium before July 28 to apply Early Bird discount! The Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) together with Host Sponsor, Divert NS, will be hosting the 2023 Rubber Recycling Symposium, held on October 4-5 at the Lord Nelson Hotel; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Fabien Gaboriaud, the new representative of Michelin on Enviro's board, describes himself as a competitive individual passionate about innovation and determined to assist Enviro in achieving success. Holding the position of Senior Vice President Sustainable Materials and Circularity at Michelin, Gaboriaud oversees the company's strategic investments in environmentally sustainable materials and circular practices.

Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group announced it has received International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certification verifying that its mining tire recycling facility in Chile processes circular feedstocks. At Kal Tire’s facility in Northern Chile, end-of-life ultra-class tires are converted to their base elements (carbon black, oil and steel) so they can be reused in new products instead of raw materials. The facility’s thermal conversion processes uses heat and friction to induce a process that sees virtually 100% of the tire reused.