News: Tire Recycling & Pyrolysis

Dickinson County Road Commission has worked with Michigan Technological University and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy on research projects involving ground tire rubber modified asphalt since 2018. Officials said this work has helped the Road Commission build practical experience with the material and better understand how it performs in local road conditions.

In order to promote the sustainable development of road engineering, this study used waste tire rubber powder (RP) and surface organic layered double hydroxide (SOM-LDHs) to modify 70# matrix asphalt. The Box–Behnken design response surface method with three factors (rubber powder content, surface organic layered double hydroxide content, shear temperature) and three responses (penetration, ductility, softening point) was used to optimize the preparation parameters. The optimum formula was determined to be 21.7% rubber powder content, 4.8% surface organic layered double hydroxide content, and 160 °C shear temperature.

Recovered Carbon Black Asia 2026 returns this September, bringing together leading tire manufacturers, pyrolysis companies, rCB producers, carbon black suppliers, chemical companies from across the global value chain. Taking place on 3-4 September 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, the conference will explore the latest developments shaping the rCB industry, with a strong focus on market trends, application, commercial value and material quality.

Several Ontario municipalities are limiting or stopping the acceptance of used tires at waste depots as tire stockpiles continue to grow and collection services fail to keep pace. The backlog has affected communities including Chatham-Kent, Wellington County, South Huron and the Region of Durham, where used tires are accumulating at municipal depots and creating operational, environmental and fire safety concerns. The situation has renewed scrutiny of Ontario’s tire recycling system, including the role of producer responsibility organizations, provincial recycling targets and proposed regulatory changes intended to improve the collection and management of end-of-life tires.

The partnership also includes joint corporate social responsibility activities beyond tire management. The companies plan to participate in the B-SAFE road safety awareness program in cooperation with the Saraburi Branch of the Department of Land Transport. They also plan to carry out nature and biodiversity conservation activities at Phu Khae Botanical Garden, connecting the agreement’s resource circulation goals with broader community and environmental initiatives.

The European Council has approved the EU end-of-life vehicle regulation, following a European Parliament vote earlier in June, meaning the legislation is now set to become law after publication in the Official Journal of the EU. The regulation introduces mandatory recycled plastic content targets for new vehicles and creates new rules for vehicle design, treatment of end-of-life vehicles, recycled material sourcing, exports and extended producer responsibility. The rules are expected to affect automotive manufacturers, recyclers, plastics suppliers and circular material producers, while also shaping future demand for recycled polymers and potentially influencing the role of tire-derived elastomers, pyrolysis oil and other recovered materials in the automotive value chain.

Genan, Inc., a large state-of-the-art processing facility in Houston, is a leader in tire recycling and recovery, with a focus on crumb rubber and micronized rubber. Genan specializes in producing rubber granules for technically demanding applications, including flooring, automotive parts, asphalt, as well as an industry-leading, patented technology for playground surfaces. Thomas Boehme of Genan will continue to lead growth efforts in the U.S. for Genan through a new role with Liberty.

The association said that, in the absence of EU-wide criteria, member states continue to apply different interpretations of when waste ceases to be waste. Cefic said this regulatory fragmentation creates uncertainty for operators, complicates cross-border value chains and may discourage investment in chemical recycling infrastructure.

The partnership comes at a time when India’s tyre recycling sector is under immense pressure, with labour shortages making manual sorting harder to sustain. Additionally, manual sorting is inherently inconsistent and limits the quality of output streams. Hidden contaminants such as batteries, TPMS sensors, metal rim fragments, and other embedded components damage shredders, causing unplanned shutdowns and creating fire hazards on the plant floor. The lack of digital traceability also leaves recyclers exposed to EPR compliance risks, including concerns about inaccurate or unverifiable credit claims.