The Leading Journal for the Tyre Recycling Sector

The Leading Journal for the Tyre Recycling Sector

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Vista International Technologies to Commercialise Gasification

Vista International Technologies Inc., a DallasFt. Worth corporation is the only licensed operator treating tyres in the Dallas Ft. Worth metropolitan area. This profitable operation has given Vista International Technologies the opportunity to expand, specifically through its TDF operations. The company’s SEC returns show that in the last quarter it has shown all its operations to be cash flow positive, putting it in a strong position to develop new technologies.

Big Change for Vista

Vista may have a significant presence in the tyre processing business, but its true potential lies in commercialising the latest generation of its Thermal Gasifier™ technology. With the ability to accept nearly any solid carbon-based input, the three-stage gasification technology efficiently converts municipal waste into thermal energy, steam, and/or electricity. The technology passes the most stringent EPA emissions regulations and produces an ash byproduct that has multiple commercial uses. Put more simply, the Thermal Gasifier can effectively and efficiently produce clean “green” energy while reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills by up to 90 p[er cent.

Prior to 2000, the company sold approximately 15 first-generation Thermal Gasifiers around the world. Three second-generation products were sold in Ireland and Italy in 2002 and 2004, respectively. And now, management is building its first third-generation unit that will be used in a pilot Waste To Energy (WTE) project in the U.S. This new generation of units has significant advantages over the earlier models with regard to operating efficiency and stack emissions.

Punjab Pyrolysis Progresses

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The Punjab regional government, on the directions of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal , has allowed setting up of pyrolysis plants in specified industrial areas and designated industrial land use areas in the state.

Pryolysis Plant Gets Green Light

A spokesman said that the deputy chief minister had intervened in the matter to save the existing 50 pyrolytic industrial units, as well as framing a new policy for establishing new units.

After considering various environmental and legal issues and suggestions received from the public, its final policy got the approval from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).

Accordingly, the state government has issued fresh guidelines for setting up of waste tyre-based pyrolysis plants which extract fuel oil from waste tyres.

To tackle environmental and safety issues, clear instructions regarding code of practice and pollution abatement measures have been issued for all pyrolytic units.

Additionally, the state government imposed a complete ban on the procurement or import of raw material from foreign suppliers, or even from other states within the country. All units including existing ones would be allowed to process the waste tyres or waste rubber products generated from within Punjab.

The pyrolytic industry will not be allowed to discharge waste water generated from oil-water separators anywhere in the environment. Any new units will have to develop a green belt of minimum of four metres width along the boundary of the plant.

UK Tyre Protocol Established

An updated tyre derived material protocol (TDRM) has been established in the UK.

Tyre Recovery Association Sets up TRDM

An updated quality protocol to establish end-of-waste criteria for tyres has been launched ahead of increased recycling targets for the ELV sector this year. The protocol will sit alongside PAS 107:12 specification covering the manufacture and storage of size-reduced tyre-derived materials.

Peter Taylor, Secretary-General of the TRA believes that this will help boost the recycled materials market. Currently, the end product from tyre processing remains classified as waste until such time as it is used in a new product. This requires handlers and storage facilities, even the users of the new raw material to be licensed to carry and store waste.

The TDRM protocol will only apply to those involved in size reduced tyre derived materials and gives the industry guidance on off-site storage and specifications on material sizes covered by the protocol.

The update was carried out in cooperation with the Environment Agency and has also been endorsed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales.

ETRA VP Joins ASTM D24 Committee

Jean-Paul Bouysset, a vice president of ETRA (European Tyre recycling Association) with a special interest in end of life tyre (ELT) pyrolysis has been appointed as the ETRA representative to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D24 Committee on Carbon Black, and to the D24:67 Sustainability committee looking into the standards for pyrolysis “carbon black”. The position confers voting rights to the membership of Jean-Paul Bouysset ensuring that the tyre recycling sector has direct input into the development of global standards.

Jean-Paul Bouysset Joins the D24 Committee

This appointment of an ETRA vice president as a voting member on the ASTM D24 committee is an important step in helping to bring about globally recognised standards for the recovered Carbon Black (rCB) produced by ELT pyrolysis. One of the challenges for produces to rCB is that it consists primarily of virgin Carbon Black with a possible modified surface activity due to the pyrolysis reaction, of inorganic compounding ingredients originating from the feedstock and cannot match existing standards for Carbon Black. In many markets, this creates a barrier to use and the ELT recycling sector has been calling for global standards for some years. The creation of rCB standards would create opportunities for wider use of the potentially valuable resources released from ELT through pyrolysis and gasification.

Jean-Paul Bouysset is a member of AFICEP (French Rubber Engineer Association) and has been active in the Carbon Black industry for 40 years. As ETRA Vice President, he co-chairs the Pyrolysis Forum with Dr Gisèle Jung (ULB). In 1995 he became interested in the growing potential of secondary raw materials produced by post-consumer tyre pyrolysis (solid, liquid, gas) and is active in EC funded projects to develop the potential of recovered Carbon-Black (rCB).