A joint venture between Doublestar and 10 Chinese Universities has created a “smart factory” capable of recycling waste tyres without causing pollution. The plant has been built in central China’s Henan Province as the latest innovation to aid China’s green drive.
Chinese Tyre Group Doublestar Invests in “Smart” Pyrolysis Plant
The factory in Runan County aims to tackle the pollution problem long plaguing China’s waste tyre recycling.
Data shows that China had about 380 million waste tyres in 2017 and the number increases by 6-8 percent every year. The country’s recycling industry mostly deals with waste tyres from trucks and buses by tyre retreading – according to the press release – this is questioned by our sister magazine Retreading Business – while passenger car tyres usually end up in small oil refineries that cause serious pollution.
Southeast University, which led the development team of the project, said they have made breakthroughs in technologies including a green pyrolysis plant from waste tyres and carbon black regeneration to render the factory pollution-free.
The 13-hectare factory, with an investment of 330 million yuan (49.3 million U.S. dollars) in the first phase, can handle 100,000 tonnes of waste tyres and produce 45,000 tonnes of pyrolysis oil and 35,000 tonnes of (recovered)carbon black per year. Its annual sales are expected to reach 360 million yuan, said Chai Yongsen, president of Doublestar Group.