News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Nokian Tyres has signed a development agreement with a Swedish biomaterial science company Reselo AB to further develop their renewable material Reselo Rubber as a potential new raw material in tires. Reselo Rubber is a completely renewable material made from birch bark sourced from the residue of the global pulp, paper and plywood industry. The aim of the cooperation agreement now signed is to develop the material further to adapt it for commercial tire production.

Workshop PLASTIC, RUBBER & RECYCLING will take place in Valencia 1-2 October 2024. ETRA and AIMPLAS join forces to organize a lively workshop to explore opportunities to set up new EU funded projects on Tyre, Rubber, and Plastic recycling with a high level of valorization.

Bridgestone EMEA (Bridgestone), Grupo BB&G (BB&G) and Versalis (Eni) announced the signing of an agreement aimed at establishing a closed-loop ecosystem to transform end-of-life tyres into new tyres. The agreement will bring together the innovation, experience and technological skills of all three companies. The partnership aims to develop a model for the creation of a scalable and increasingly sustainable supply chain. Around one billion tyres reach the end of their useful service life every year, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)’s Tire Industry Project1. Bridgestone, BB&G and Versalis are seeking a solution that provides innovative and more environmentally responsible ways to address increased sustainability in the synthetic rubber business, helping to maximise the complete lifecycle of a tyre.

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End-of-life tires (ELTs) represent a significant environmental challenge globally, with over 1 billion tires produced and discarded each year. Their durability and complex composition, which includes a mix of rubber compounds, metals, textiles, and fillers, make them particularly difficult to recycle. Traditional disposal methods like incineration and landfilling not only fail to recover valuable materials but also contribute to environmental degradation. As the world seeks more sustainable recycling practices, pyrolysis—a process of thermal decomposition in an inert atmosphere—has emerged as a promising alternative. This method allows for the recovery of valuable products such as recovered carbon black (rCB) and tire pyrolysis oil (TPO), including limonene, a solvent derived from the degradation of rubber components. However, achieving consistent, high-quality outputs through pyrolysis requires careful control of both feedstock characteristics and process parameters.

In Episode 66, Chief Editor of Tyre and Rubber Recycling Ewan Scott speaks with CEO Trevor Bayley of Australian tyre pyrolysis operator Green Distillation Technologies (GDT) to find out the project's current status as the business gets ready to expand.

Fornnax Technology, an Ahmedabad-based recycling machinery manufacturer, is making significant inroads in Eastern Europe, recently completing installations of its primary shredders in Serbia, Poland, and Bulgaria. Managing Director Jignesh Kundaria highlighted this achievement during the TRRAI Conclave 2024, noting that Eastern European companies, which typically use European machinery, are now adopting Fornnax's recycling lines—a significant milestone for the company.

The Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG Group) announced that it has launched studies to perform chemical recycling of end-of-life tires (ELTs) by utilizing the coke ovens at its Kagawa Plant (Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture). The MCG Group aims to begin marketing sustainable carbon black made from ELTs by March 2026. Along with the accelerating trend in the tire industry toward using sustainable raw materials, there is a growing need to use recycled carbon black, one of the main raw materials and a rubber reinforcing agent used in tires.

Smithers has announced the agenda for its upcoming Sustainability in Tires 2024 conference, scheduled for October 14-16, 2024, at the Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai. This event will provide a platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange among tire manufacturers, suppliers, regulators, and sustainability advocates. This annual conference serves as a forum for engineers, scientists, users, decision-makers, policymakers, and advocates to learn about innovations that will shape the industry's future. By effectively communicating knowledge and research, participants can influence practices and policies, inspiring innovation at all levels.