SIGNUS managed the equivalent of 27,337,351 tyres, which could be used to build around 1,139 circuits the size of the Jerez Circuit
During 2024, SIGNUS managed 222,406 tons of end-of-life tires. Taking into account the average weight of a passenger car tyre of 8.1 kg, this would be equivalent to 27,337,351 tires, which could be used to build around 1,139 circuits the size of the Jerez Circuit.
Of the total collected, 1 in 8 tyres was used for reuse (used tyres or retreads) (12.5%), 1 in 5 tyres was recycled into products for different applications (48.5%), and 1 in 5 tyres was used for energy recovery, mainly as a substitute for fossil fuels (39%).
Currently, among the main uses for end-of-life tyre (ELT) material in 2024 are 25,767 tons for the construction of approximately 260 soccer fields, 19,268 tons for the construction of approximately 3,900 playgrounds, and 3,714 tons for 350 kilometers of roads, among others. Also notable is the incorporation of new tyre treatment technologies, such as the pyrolysis process, which produces new secondary raw materials such as recovered carbon black and pyrolytic oil.
SIGNUS promotes solutions to the future European restriction on microplastics
Both pyrolysis technology and the development of bituminous mixtures with rubber from ELT for streets and roads are currently occupying SIGNUS’s greatest attention, given the imminent challenge of finding alternatives to the main application of recycled rubber—currently as infill in artificial turf fields—which accounts for around 50% of the recycled rubber produced annually.
October 2031 is the date set by the European Commission to ban the marketing of polymeric infill material smaller than 5 mm, as it falls within the definition of microplastic, due to the size and composition of the recycled rubber particles.
In light of this, SIGNUS has carried out the PERSEUS Project with Campezo, Moeve, and Asfaltia, funded by the CDTI (Centre for the Development of Industrial Property).
This project will allow the direct addition of rubber granules to asphalt mixtures, replacing part of the aggregate used. An experimental section has already been extended on a road belonging to the Provincial Council of Vizcaya.
Pyrolysis continues to be a challenge in Spain. There are several emerging projects capable of obtaining materials such as carbon black, pyrolytic oils, and gases for the process itself, but these are still in insufficient quantities and qualities for use in the manufacturing process of new tires. This currently constitutes one of the main challenges in the sector.
SIGNUS Innovation and Projects to Expand the Uses of Recycled Rubber
In addition to these two uses, SIGNUS continues to develop projects and studies focused on consolidating and seeking new alternatives to the use of recycled rubber from tires, something that is now even more important given this ban. During 2024, SIGNUS has worked, among other projects, on the use of recycled rubber in the manufacture of thermoplastics (GREENFU project). SIGNUS has also published a guide on the use of recycled rubber from tyres in cities under the name CITYRE, which outlines the various uses that recycled rubber can have in the urban environment.
