The Leading Journal for the Tyre Recycling Sector

Newsletter Sign-up

The Leading Journal for the Tyre Recycling Sector

Home Blog Page 30

Twyford Recycling Teams up with Hovertravel

Ewan Scott
-
0
Twyford Recycling Teams up with Hovertravel

Twyford Recycling has partnered with the cross-Solent hovercraft ferry service, Hovertravel, to process their used skirt material into 20mm rubber chippings

Ryan Livett, Facilities Manager at Hovertravel, explains: “The rubber material which makes up the skirts on our hovercraft degrades slightly through use over time and loses some of its natural bounce. For this reason we have a regular programme of replacement and we are always looking for a better way to recycle the used rubber.

Twyford Recycling is an established company with a recycling facility along the South Coast and it is able to collect and process our rubber waste so that it has a second life.”

The rubber skirt on a hovercraft is used to trap the air underneath the craft and for Hovertravel’s craft it supports up to 45 tonnes, allowing the hovercraft to cross the Solent at speeds of 35 knots up to 70 times per day. The fingers of the skirt are replaced approximately three times per year to keep the craft operating at their most efficient.

Gerry Harkin, founder and MD of Twyford Recycling, adds; “We are used to recycling any type of tyre; from cars, lorries, coaches, tractors but hovercraft skirts were a first for us. To recycle the rubber skirt we pass it through our pre shredder and secondary rasper and granulator machinery just as we would with tyres. This will produce 20mm wire free rubber chippings. We then bag these up in one tonne bags where they are either sent off for colourising, used for equestrian or garden mulch or are repurposed in manufacturing.”

Source: Hovertravel

Levidian Shows Graphene-enhanced Prototype Truck Tyre

Ewan Scott
-
0
Levidian Shows Graphene-enhanced Prototype Truck Tyre

Independent lab trials show potential fuel efficiency gains of up to 4 per cent  

UK climate tech leader Levidian has unveiled its first prototype truck tyre, combining net zero graphene with carbon black in a new tread formulation that could unlock a future of greener, higher performance tyres.  

Launched this week at the Tire Technology Expo in Hannover, the graphene-enhanced natural rubber and butadiene rubber tyre tread compound, typically used in commercial vehicle tyres, has been shown to deliver significant improvements in the mechanical and dynamic properties of the tyre. 

Independent testing by the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC) has shown that the addition of Levidian’s net zero graphene can deliver a reduction in rolling resistance of around 23 per cent. Initial results have also indicated potential for reduced compound density that could allow for lighter tyres overall.  Overall, this could deliver substantial improvements in fuel efficiency of 3-4 per cent.  

Levidian’s graphene is produced as part of a unique decarbonisation solution called LOOP that allows tyre producers to drive down the emissions of their manufacturing processes and products through the production of clean hydrogen and high-quality graphene, which can be used as a reinforcing, tread grade carbon filler.  

Ellie Galanis, Director of Commercial Development for Levidian said; “We’re on a mission to help industry to decarbonise and are excited to be sharing this prototype tyre alongside the results of testing with our partners at TARRC.  

“By deploying our technology, HGV operators could achieve improvements in fuel economy of at least 3 per cent – that’s an annual saving of over £300m on fuel and a reduction in emissions of almost half a million tonnes of CO2 equivalent for UK operators alone.” 

Levidian’s solution offers tyre manufacturers the opportunity to not only drive down the emissions associated with production but secure their supply chains by producing their own graphene on site for direct application into their tyres. 

India’s Fornnax Investing INR 1 Billion in Manufacturing Site

Satnam Singh
-
0
India’s Fornnax Investing INR 1 Billion in Manufacturing Site

Fornnax Technology has acquired 23 acre of land parcel for a new facility. The move is in line with company’s growing footprints in the domestic and overseas market

“We have acquired 23 acre plot in Ahmedabad for the upcoming facility, which is going to be one of the biggest tyre recycling machinery manufacturing site in the world,” informed Jignesh Kundaria, Managing Director, Fornnax Technology in an exclusive interaction with Tyre and Rubber Recycling at India Rubber Expo (IRE) in Mumbai.

The upcoming site will emerge as worlds’ biggest shredding and recycling machinery manufacturing site. “The new site, which should be functional by March 2025, will focus on the production of high-capacity recycling machinery having application in tyre, municipal waste and metal.”

The investment in new site is line with Fornnax Technology’s growing commitments in the domestic and international market and the company is not finding it possible to expand at the current location. When asked about investment in the upcoming site, he confided, “The new site entails an investment of INR 1 billion in land and equipment.”

Debut upgraded variant of primary shredder SR-200 HD at IRE 2024

Fornnax Technology continues to expand its portfolio of high capacity lines and debuted an upgraded variant of primary shredder. The company unveiled a high capacity version of SR-200 HD at the inaugural day of the ongoing IRE 2024 at the Bombay Exhibition Center. Designed primarily for tyre shredding applications, SR-200 HD can also be utilised for high-volume municipal solid waste, wood pallets, industrial and commercial waste.

The new HD (heavy duty) primary shredder of SR series is more powerful compared to existing standard version introduced four years ago. “The upgraded model has single-pass capacity of up to 25 tons per hour and targeted at sites with 25 ton per hour capacity. The capacity of new variant has been hiked by 40 per cent with only a marginal increase in power consumption,” he explained. The SR-200 HD is a single-line system that delivers high output equivalent to 3-4 smaller lines. The HD model is priced 10 per cent more compared to the standard model but improved capacity by 30 per cent.

The model provides higher capacity due to its high RPM and torque, resulting in less man-power, power consumption and wear costs. “We are aware of rising power costs in operating high capacity recycling lines, therefore, our focus was on improving performance with low power consumption.”

The price of the new line is pegged comparatively low and offers much higher production capacity. The standard variant will not be phased out and continues to be the part of the increasing size of portfolio.

Primary Shredder now available in multiple options

The shredder comes has robust cutting chamber design, the slow-speed shafts, produce up to 200,000 Nm of torque, allowing SR-200 HD to operate with most challenging materials. The quick shaft change system, enables end user to switch from working in one application to another.

The model is available in multiple options, such as the SR-200 with disc classifier to provide 60 to 150 mm output sizes to feed downstream equipment. While model with a trommel screen provides output sizes of 60-80 mm, which is called TDF (tyre derived fuel) alternate fuel for the cement industry. And SR-200 HD without a screen produces output sizes up to 400 mm, called single pass rough shreds. Due to the design of 750 mm diameter knives and a larger shaft centre, the line provides more discharge space to process bulky and high-thickness materials such as agricultural tyres, truck tyres and OTR tyres

Pre-launch bookings from Australia, Poland & Bulgaria

Fornnax Technology has already booked six pre-launch orders from new and existing customers. The model launched at the IRE has already been sold to a Melbourne based company entering the tyre recycling vertical shortly. The SR-200 HD will also be functional by June in two companies based Poland and Bulgaria.

While the high capacity 4000 HD model launched during IFAT continues to swell its order book. The model received 12 bookings in the current fiscal with half of the installations booked from its growing global clientele.

Turnover grown by 40%

The Gujarat based company continues to achieve new milestones in terms of growth and turnover. “We are expecting to cross INR 1 Billion by the end of the ongoing fiscal ending in March, grown by almost 40% over the previous fiscal,” said Kundaria. 

MICHELIN innovates to expand understanding of tyre and road wear particles

Ewan Scott
-
0
MICHELIN innovates to expand understanding of tyre and road wear particles

For the last 20 years, Michelin has been committed to reducing tyre abrasion and to research on wear particles

As tyre wear particles become an environmental concern. In many places tyre and brake emissions are now higher than exhaust emissions. The tyre industry has been faced with the challenge of reducing tyre wear. Michelin has now released news about their own research into tyre wear particles, the results of which may lead to more abrasive resistant tyres and a biodegradable tyre wear particle.

With a wish to reduce tyre abrasion and deepen knowledge in this field, Michelin has developed a system for analysing small, emitted particles, “SAMPLE”. This captures, sorts, counts and characterises particles in close proximity to tyres with unequalled precision and reproducibility. This analysis system, which was presented at Tire Technology, opens the way to the design of biodegradable tyre wear particles. 

There are important questions being raised about tyre and road wear particles. To help answer these questions, it is essential to have reliable, reproducible and standardised measurements. This will be a fundamental step in better understanding the environmental impact of wear particles and in the innovation of new solutions.

Tyre wear particles are on average the size of a human hair (100 µm) and form a complex mixture composed of equal parts of tyre rubber (50 per cent) and minerals plus other road components (50 per cent).

The Michelin study has quantified the number of these particles that contribute to atmospheric pollution, i.e. PM10 and PM2.5 also known as fine particles. Until today, these figures had never been verified by such precise experimental measurements. The initial results show that among the particles emitted by tyres, on average 1.3 per cent are PM10 and 0.16  per cent are PM2.5, liable to be found in suspension in the air.

This precise quantification is important both for Michelin to increase understanding of the links between the tyre, the road and the driving style and also for the official bodies in charge of estimating city pollution. The data is essential to the design of simulation models for measuring air quality. 

In December 2022 and in March 2023, this study was the subject of two scientific articles https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frederic-Biesse. Finally, Michelin has made available this system for analysing emitted light particles to the tyre industry and to ETRMA (European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association). ETRMA will now conduct a campaign of measurements on a larger scale with the aid of an independent third party. The campaign will launch this year and will continue for around 18 months. 

Michelin’s approach is complementary to the Euro7 standard

The Euro7 standard that has just been adopted by the European Commission will shortly set down the regulatory tyre abrasion thresholds in order to reduce the quantities of particles emitted in Europe. This regulation has its own test method for quantifying all the wear particles from tyre and the road, in terms of grams per km per ton carried. It enables overall emissions to be measured on a very large scale for all tyres on the market. Those not meeting the standard will no longer be marketable.

Michelin, a long-standing advocate of this regulation, is engaged in a complementary approach, furthering its understanding of this issue. 

Since 2005, numerous research and development facilities have been committed to a better understanding and reduction of wear particle emissions. To achieve this, Michelin relies both on its knowledge of materials and on a design strategy historically oriented to optimise the use of materials. This policy secured a 5 per cent reduction in wear emissions of Michelin tyres between 2015 and 2020 which has since continued. 

At the end of 2023, the Group announced the creation of a common laboratory with the CNRS and the University of Clermont Auvergne: “BioDLab”. Its mission is to understand the biodegradation of wear particles, for then to develop tools for finding new tangible solutions to make them capable of being bio-assimilated.

The Clermont manufacturer is moreover internationally recognised as a leader in the field of particle emission longevity. A position confirmed by a test carried out by ADAC, the German automobile association (Study published in March 2022) on a hundred or so tyres.

Through these actions, Michelin wants to better understand the phenomenon of tyre wear particles and their degradation. There are multiple objectives: reduce their emissions, provide scientific responses, and develop technical solutions.

Goa State Pollution Control Board Acts on Tyres

Ewan Scott
-
0
Goa State Pollution Control Board Acts on Tyres

The island of Goa, beloved by holidaymakers has had enough of illegally dumped waste

The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSCPB) in line with India’s EPR scheme, has instructed all tyre producewrs, recyclers and retreaders to register their operations with the GSCPB.

GSPCB issued a notice recently advising all operators that they required consent to function from the Board under Section 25/26 of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution Act 1974, and under Section 21 of the Air(Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1981.

India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had issued amendment rules in July 2022, establishing an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for waste tyres. This is being rolled out throughout India in an attempt to address the country’s waste tyre arisings.

Ironically, since the announcement of EPR, India has been importing even more tyres than before. Exactly the opposite of what was expected to happen when EPR was introduced.

Source: Times of India

Cutmetall Expands Its Presence In Europe

Ewan Scott
-
0
Cutmetall Expands Its Presence In Europe

The Cutmetall group of companies has announced the expansion of its European team

Following its entry into the Italian and North American market last year, the company added local representatives in France, the Iberia region and Turkey. The extension of its sales force allows the group to provide local support to more customers in Europe and ensure the supply of high-quality knives and screens for shredders and granulators.

Vera Garcia, Cutmetall Iberia, Mustafa Ozturk, Cutmetall Turkey, and Henry Sautel, Cutmetall France

In addition to proven solutions for cutting tools, including innovative carbide systems, Cutmetall will also offer technical service to its customers in these territories. “Our agents are well established in their respective regions and have long been reliable partners for customers in their markets. I am very pleased that we have been able to win them over to support us on our growth path,” says Jakob Mangold, Vice President Business Development EMEA at Cutmetall.

Pyrum Innovations AG and GreenTech Recycling Tires AB plan Swedish Project

Ewan Scott
-
0
Pyrum Innovations AG and GreenTech Recycling Tires AB plan Swedish Project

Pyrum has signed contract signed for the planning of a new plant with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres per year

Pyrum Innovations AG has laid the foundation for its market entry in Scandinavia. Last week, a consulting agreement was signed between GreenTech Recycling Tires AB and Pyrum Innovations AG for the construction of a joint pyrolysis plant in Sweden.

This will be another step in Sweden’s aim to better manage end of life tyres in the country.

It is planned that Pyrum will participate in the SPV with up to EUR 3 million, provided that GreenTech’s financing has been fully secured. The company is currently conducting talks in this regard. At the same time, GreenTech Recycling Tires AB has already reserved a suitable site in Billingsfors, Sweden, held talks with tyre suppliers and, with Pyrum’s support, will soon begin compiling the necessary approval documents. The official start of the project in the form of the commencement of work on the basic engineering is scheduled for the beginning of July this year. Both partners are aiming to build a plant with a recycling capacity of 20,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres per year. Production is scheduled to start in 2027.

The 20,000 tonnes target is based on Pyrum’s model for a pyrolysis plant that has been proven in Dillingen/Saar.

Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG said; “We are very pleased about the cooperation with GreenTech as well as the trust placed in our Pyrum technology. With the construction of the joint plant in Sweden, we are taking the first major step towards opening up the Scandinavian market. We are looking forward to the new project with confidence and are now starting the further planning full of vigour.”

“For us at GreenTech Recycling Tires AB, the agreement with Pyrum Innovation AG is our stepping stone in recycling end-of-life tyres from cars and trucks, fully reusing them to make new tyres, plastics and steel products instead of incineration”, says Per-Olov Lindgren Chairman of the Board of GreenTech Recycling Tires AB. “This is the last piece in the value chain for us, since we already today have both the supply of tyres and offset of the produced products when our plant is in place”, continued Lindgren.

The consulting agreement that has now been concluded is Pyrum’s third concrete contractual agreement for the construction of a recycling plant in addition to the project with Thermo Lysi SA in Greece and the planned plant in the Czech Republic.

Rebuilding TANA Machines for a Second Life

Ewan Scott
-
0
Rebuilding TANA Machines for a Second Life

Tana says repairs and maintenance within the normal life cycle of the machine enables it to work as efficiently as possible during its planned service life. Rebuilding, on the other hand, aims to give it a second life

In solid waste processing, there is a growing need to rebuild machines. Tana Second Life significantly extends the life cycle of machines, while at the same time reducing the consumption of materials needed to manufacture new machines, cutting waste and minimising emissions.

Tana is currently testing how to sustainably and profitably double the life of the machine – in other words, how to give the machine a second life.

Rebuilds offer both financial and environmental benefits

The timely refurbishment, rebuild or upgrade of the main components of a compactor or shredder, mainly the powertrain, offers both financial and environmental benefits. When the diesel engine and the main hydraulic components reach the end of their intended service life after 10,000 operating hours, they must either be completely refurbished or replaced.

Based on a condition assessment, it is possible to calculate in advance when a rebuild is feasible. Using data to predict maintenance is already a reality, since today’s machines are already compatible with remote diagnostics. Knowing all the pressures and fault warnings, the need for refurbishments can be assessed in advance.

Remote monitoring produces data not only about operating hours but also about how hard the machine has been used. When a sufficient amount of data is accumulated, the estimate of the need for refurbishing and costs becomes more precise.

Modular design simplifies rebuilds

Tana’s product development and production have always focused on the longest possible service life and easy maintenance. Making it easier to replace components and anticipate maintenance needs means less materials that need to be replaced at once. In this way, the downtime can be as short as possible.

The modular design of TANA machines also simplifies rebuilds, as entire units can be changed. In the future, it will even be possible to replace the diesel engine with an electric powertrain.

Certified partners and processes ensure reliability

In practice, rebuilds are carried out by partners certified by Tana according to a common operating model. High-quality components and certified processes ensure that rebuilt machines retain their original performance.

The first partner, Humdinger Equipment Ltd in the USA, has already completed several rebuild projects with Tana. In North America, machines undergo up to two full-scale rebuilds during their lifetime, so they even get a third life.

New network partners are starting to be certified in Europe as well. Tana has itself done rebuilds together with its network partners, and several projects are currently in progress.

Sustainable and profitable circular economy

Rebuilds must be justified not only in terms of the climate and the environment but also financially. They must be profitable for owners, as well as for Tana and its rebuild partners.

Although the proportions of recyclable components vary, rebuilding is a significantly cheaper option than purchasing a new machine. The difference to a new purchase can be in the range of 30 to 70 per cent, depending on the age of the machine and the level of refurbishment.

During the rebuild, the machine’s valuable chassis structures are preserved. The owner of the machine gets guarantees for the main components that are replaced, as well as the opportunity to purchase an extended warranty.

When the need for a rebuild is systematically anticipated and the rebuild is carried out as planned, significant savings can be made in investment costs. The contractor’s productivity also increases when there are even fewer disruptions in production, or they are kept short.

Tana also has a clear plan for its products that provides a way to handle the final phase of their life cycle with the least possible burden on the environment.

Company has a separate recycling and refurbishment programme for main components, such as diesel engines. End-of-life machines consist mostly of steel components that can be sold for metal recycling, while some components can also be recovered as spare parts.

Tana is growing in the heart of the circular economy

Tana wants to be closely involved in the circular economy, which involves precisely extending the life cycle of devices. Rebuilding reduces the environmental and social costs of machine manufacturing. It is fundamentally a local operation that reduces the carbon footprint of international transport and keeps support and service close to the customer.

Although Tana’s products do not require rare earth metals, extending the life cycle of machines by rebuilding reduces waste and saves limited natural resources. For example, steel production is still energy-intensive and a major source of climate emissions.

“Tana Second Life rebuild programme is a concrete step in Tana’s transition towards a circular economy. Rebuild operations in accordance with sustainable development are also an essential part of our company’s growth story,” emphasises Kalle Saarimaa, CEO of Tana.

Aiming for a circular economy, Tana continues to develop and produce new, more energy-efficient machines, but it can also conduct profitable business by refurbishing parts and equipment. The share of maintenance and spare parts in the circular economy is increasing.

EU Waste Trans-shipping Rules

Ewan Scott
-
0
EU Waste Trans-shipping Rules

The EU has been working towards a greener economy, and the shipment of waste has been an issue that has needed clarification

There is some evidence that there has been some trans-European movement of waste for disposal. Much of the evidence is anecdotal, some is well known. In the case of tyres, despite almost all EU states having some form of EPR in place, there have long been stories of trans-shipment of waste tyres for disposal in less well managed states.In essence, waste from the West has tended to migrate to the East for disposal.

The EU has agreed on proposals to control the shipment of waste inside Europe, effective from the 27th February.

The text of the rule bans the shipments of all waste destined for disposal within the EU, except if consented to and authorised under the strict conditions of the prior written notification and consent procedure (‘PIC’) and in well-justified cases. On the other hand, intra-EU shipments of waste for recovery operations will continue to be allowed following the less stringent procedure set out in the general information requirements (‘green-listed waste’).

Rubber exports may not be the highest, but the ratio of exports is higher than the imports – this, of course, excludes the UK contribution

The text of the agreement contains a derogation for shipments of waste explicitly destined for laboratory analysis and experiments if such waste does not exceed 250 kg. In this case, the shipment of such waste will need to follow the general information requirements outlined in the regulation.

The system will be controlled through a EU managed digital central  registration system.

The export of waste to non OECD counties willrequire that waste management facilities in third countries, such as Pakistan or India, for example, should be audited by independent bodies. These audits would have to prove that the facilities treat waste in an environmentally sound manner and operators would only be allowed to export waste to these facilities if this were the case.

The new rules require the Commission to establish a register that contains up-to-date information on facilities that have been subject to an audit to help waste exporters prepare for shipments.

What does this mean?

For someone shipping tyres for disposal in Europe, they will have to show that there is a legitimate destination for recovery or recycling, rather than landfill. Technically, this formalises what should have been the case if all players complied with The Basel Convention.

It should bring about an end to the transhipment of waste in Europe, for disposal. Which anecdotally still happened with tyres.

The auditing and registering of third country recipients for recycling and recovery, is actually enforcing the concept behind the much-ignored Annex VII.

The success of these new rules will only be seen in due course. They will rely upon legitimate auditing of third party ricipients – and the old question arises – Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

How does this impact upon EU recyclers?

The first things that it could do, if fully enforced, is remove much of the rogue element of recycling, and however much the EPR schemes protest, there are rogue operators in almost every market. However, that requires full enforcement throughout Europe.

There is an idea that these waste trans-shipment rules will reduce export demand, and as such create a lower feedstock supply to European recyclers – more tyres retained means lower costs to acquire feedstock – in theory. However, the corollary might also be true, oversupply of feedstock and a shortage of processing capacity could lead to increased costs as those needing to have tyres collected have to pay a higher fee when the piper calls the tune.

There is a real need, across Europe, for the tyre recycling sector to see investment and support. The EU needs to help the players build a recycling sector fit for the circular economy, and whilst the management of the feedstock is one area that needs attention. The creation of demand for the end products is another that lags behind the existing capacities.

Does this impact non-EU members?

For the UK, it can be pretty certain that it will make no difference, unless the EU also decide to apply these rules to temporarily imported wastes, ie waste in transit. The UK government appears to be inn no rush to manage waste tyres more effectively. The UK government adheres to the idea that if the waste is not piling up in the UK, it is not a UK problem.

Could it impact destination markets?

It might have a positive impact on shipping tyres to some destinations where their standards are closer to the EU regulations. They may find that there is more demand for their recycling services if, for example, another third country’s industry is unable to meet EU standards. It is speculation, but if standards in some current destinations are as low as we are led to believe, then the supply of tyres from Europe to those markets may slacken, creating, depending upon how it is considered, a driving force to improve standards, or a motivation to fully exploit the domestic tyre arisings.

The Tyre Recycling Podcast Episode #58 Introducing Gradeall’s Alan Shaw

Ewan Scott
-
0
The Tyre Recycling Podcast Episode #58 Introducing Gradeall’s Alan Shaw

The latest episode of The Tyre Recycling Podcast is now live. In episode 58 we talk to Gradeall’s Alan Shaw which as usual can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

Gradeall Appear in Newest Podcast Episode

Gradeall have been a long-term advertiser to Tyre & Rubber Recycling and we were excited to finally welcome them to the podcast. Gradeall produce a range of tyre recycling equipment to help recyclers efficiently and effectively deal with used waste tyres and Ewan Scott, the Editor managed to talk Alan Shaw who leads the UK & International Sales for the Company.

Chapters:

00:12 Introduction

00:29 Tyre Baling Introduction

00:51 Introducing Alan Shaw

01:05 Mk2 Baler Discussion

01:20 Remote monitoring

02:58 Gradeall heritage

04:29 Conveyor System

06:49 Conveyor system video

07:34 Sidewall and Tread Cutter

08:22 Car Tyre Cutter

09:03 Entering the US Market

10:27 Summary

1...293031...214Page 30 of 214

Tyre and Rubber Recycling

About

Media Information

Legal

Contact

Powered By PageSuite