The Leading Journal for the Tyre Recycling Sector

The Leading Journal for the Tyre Recycling Sector

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Valorpneu Sees License Extended

Portugal’s Valorpneu has had its existing license extended until June 30th 2024

The term of Valorpneu’s license, which ended on December 31, 2023, was extended with effect from January 1, 2024 until June 30, 2024, the date on which the new license must be issued.

Valorpneu requested a new license in good time and presented the respective specifications to continue the used tyre management activity, to the Portuguese Environment Agency and the Directorate-General for Economic Activities, but it was not possible for the competent entities to proceed with the respective issuance of new licenses on January 1, 2024 due to lack of legal qualification.

The useful time was also insufficient to complete the analysis of the specifications and award of new licenses for the integrated specific flow management systems, in accordance with the changes introduced by Decree-Law no. 152 -D/2017, of 11 December, approved at a meeting of the Council of Ministers on November 29, which is still awaiting publication.

Throughout this period, all conditions imposed in the license remain in force, namely the obligations relating to the applicable goals and objectives, during the period of validity of the license.

The change in the law impacts a range of waste sectors following a couple of European directives. In particular; Directives 2016/774/EU and 2017/2096/EU on end-of-life vehicles.

New requirements and procedures will be defined for dealing with waste, with more responsibility being placed on the producers . New common rules for the management of all the specified waste streams will be created, as well as specific regulations for each one.

The producer will be responsible for the residue that their product or produces.

They will be responsible for financing the management of the waste resulting from their own products. They can choose to fulfil this obligation by:

  • individually supporting the costs of their waste management
  • joining an integrated management system responsible for managing these wastes.

The role of the entities that manage the specific waste streams will be clarified

Waste management is usually carried out by entities that manage waste and assume the responsibilities of businesses that place products on the Portuguese market.

Providers already engaged in this activity have 12 months to adapt to the new rules and ensure that they meet the requirements.

AZuR Project Group on Chemical Recycling Starts at ONEJOON Group

In addition to retreading and material recovery, chemical recycling, which includes pyrolysis and devulcanisation, will play an important role in tyre recycling. The AZuR Project Group on Chemical Recycling, led by Martin von Wolfersdorff , began this undertaking with 15 AZuR partners from companies, universities and institutes

In addition to a round of introductions, which also included the goals of the participants, the participants quickly got into discussion about the market situation, obstacles and opportunities.  

The framework conditions in Europe mean that action must be taken quickly. On the one hand, secondary raw materials must remain in Europe, and on the other hand, we must build a circular economy industry in Europe that uses innovative technologies to make maximum use of all available resources.

These points are very apposite, as Europe currently exports too many valuable waste resources instead of building national recycling industries.

Dominikus Wirth from ONEJOON Group not only presented his company, but also gave the group the opportunity to look at its production. As always, such experiences are very enlightening and lead to many questions that have been answered competently and comprehensively.

In addition to the lively discussion, which ultimately led to the launch of three projects, there was sufficient time for bilateral talks, exchange among the AZuR partners and networking.  

All project participants agreed on one thing: “This was just the beginning. It must now move on quickly.”

Enviro Receives Payments Towards Uddevalla Plant

Enviro receives MSEK 53 payment for costs incurred, of which half in cash and half as ownership share in joint venture

Scandinavian Enviro Systems has received an initial payment for costs incurred relating to the plant in Uddevalla, Sweden. The payment has been made by the joint venture established by Enviro and Antin Infrastructure Partners.

The payment covers part of the costs incurred by Enviro for establishing the full-scale recycling plant for end-of-life tyres in Uddevalla and Enviro will receive further payments to cover these costs. Construction of the plant in Uddevalla commenced last week.

In addition to the cash payment of MSEK 26.5, Enviro also received shares in the joint venture. Enviro’s stake in the joint venture will fluctuate in pace with the capitalisation process for the joint venture, but over time Enviro is entitled to acquire an ownership share that ultimately corresponds to approximately 30 per cent.

The joint venture will be the world’s first large-scale tyre recycling company, combining Enviro’s unique patented technology for extracting carbon black and pyrolysis oil from end-of-life tyres with Antin’s expertise in developing and scaling up future infrastructure platforms. The joint venture plans to construct plants across Europe targeting a total annual recycling capacity of up to one million metric tons of end-of-life tyres by 2030. Enviro and Antin Infrastructure NextGen fund have previously agreed on a plan for financing the construction of the plants.

Enviro will receive revenue through both service fees and an asset fee based on the profitability of the respective plants while the company will have the possibility of building up long-term value through ownership in the joint venture.

Tire Recycling Foundation Created by the TIA and USTMA

The Tire Industry Association (TIA) and the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) have announced the formation of the Tire Recycling Foundation, a collaborative initiative aimed at fostering sustainable and circular market solutions for end-of-life tyres

The unveiling of the Tire Recycling Foundation took place at the 2024 OTR Tire Conference, where John Sheerin, Director of End-of-Life Tire Programs at USTMA, joined Dick Gust, CEO of TIA, on stage to introduce this groundbreaking initiative.

John Sheerin, speaking at the podium, emphasised the Foundation’s mission to expand ysustainable and circular market solutions for scrap tyres through research, development of innovative technologies, and enhanced collaboration across the tire value chain.

TIA and USTMA have united to establish the Tire Recycling Foundation,” stated John Sheerin.

The formation of the Tire Recycling Foundation stems from extensive industry consultations, including a three-day listening session organised by the Tire Industry Project in 2021. The Foundation’s Board of Directors, comprising representatives from tyre manufacturers, distributors, retailers, collectors, recyclers, and tyre-derived product producers, will convene for its inaugural meeting in March 2024.

Dick Gust explained the pivotal role of the Foundation in navigating evolving regulatory landscapes and advancing sustainable practices across the tyre industry.

“As tyre retailers, dealers, retreaders, and recyclers, you are at the forefront of managing end-of-life tyres,” said Dick Gust. “

Central to the Foundation’s goal is the ambition to achieve 100 per cent recycling of end-of-life tyres in sustainable markets. Through strategic partnerships, fundraising initiatives, and targeted interventions, the Foundation aims to catalyse the transition towards a profitable and self-sustaining tire recycling ecosystem.

The launch of the Tire Recycling Foundation marks a significant milestone in the tyre industry’s journey towards sustainability and underscores TIA and USTMA’s unwavering commitment to driving positive impact.

Tyres Dumped by Loch Ness

In a monstrous action, criminals dumped some 300 tyres on the banks of Loch Ness in January

The Highland Council says that inquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible for dumping over 300 tyres from the side of the A82 into Loch Ness.

The incident was reported to Highland Council on Monday 29 January and is believed to have occurred sometime over the weekend between 27 and 28 January 2024.

The investigation is being led by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and anyone with information is urged to contact them.

Highland Council would like to thank the Ness District Salmon Fishery Board and salmon farming company Mowi for their support after they volunteered to take part in a joint operation to remove all the tyres from the iconic loch.

Mowi staff worked alongside Highland Council operatives over a three-day period to clear the tyres. It was a slow process due to inclement weather and the location of the tyres, some of which were halfway up the banks of Loch Ness.

Mowi was able to re-use 100 of the tyres as part of its operations and approximately 200 were left to Highland Council to dispose of. The clean-up happened between 5 and 7 February.

Chairman of Highland Council’s Communities and Place Committee, Cllr Graham Mackenzie, said; “The Council is extremely grateful for the support, which ensured this horrendous incidence of fly-tipping was dealt with quickly.

“The location of the tyres made recovery problematic but was made possible thanks to some fantastic collaborative work between our staff, staff from Mowi, and members of the Ness Salmon Fishery Board.”

He added: “It is very disappointing these tyres were recklessly disposed of in this manner without a thought for the environmental impact on one of Scotland’s most beautiful and popular tourist locations.”

Paul Griffiths, Unit Manager at SEPA, said: “Waste crime has a serious and detrimental impact on our environment, communities and compliant businesses. Tyres in particular have the potential to release hazardous substances if set on fire and are a blight on the landscape if not treated, recycled or disposed of properly.

“A lack of evidence often makes catching the culprits extremely difficult, and the first line of defence is stopping criminals getting their hands on waste in the first place. A legitimate operator should be able to tell you their SEPA waste carrier licence number and the exact location your waste will be taken to. If they won’t provide those two pieces of information, don’t give them your waste.

“Our investigation into this incident at Loch Ness remains ongoing and we strongly urge anyone with information about who might be responsible to come forward.”

Source: Highland Council

Pyrum Innovations AG: First Oil from the New Plant Heads to BASF

Pyrum’s next commissioning run with a focus on in-house power generation from pyrolysis gas is planned within the next two weeks

Pyrum Innovations AG has reached a new milestone with reactor 2 (TAD 2) of the new plant at its main site in Dillingen/Saar. In the course ofthe third commissioning run of TAD 2, the first truck with a delivery volume of around 24,000 litres of pyrolysis oil was sent to BASF. Following the last test run, the pyrolysis oil was carefully tested to ensure that it met all the required specifications. The sampling of the oil was successful, so delivery to BASF can proceed as planned and there are no more obstacles to future deliveries. Around 60,000 litres of oil have already been produced at the new plant and further deliveries are expected in the near future.

Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations said; “The result speaks for itself. After three weeks of continuous production, we have reached a new milestone with the first delivery of our pyrolysis oil from TAD 2 to BASF. We are very proud to have achieved this ahead of schedule, which is largely due to the dedication of our team. We are now in a successful phase of our roll-out plan and are now preparing for our new intermediate goals – the in-house generation of electricity from TAD 2 and the first test run of TAD 3.”

Reactor 2 is now in the thermal cleaning phase before being completely shut down for further testing. The next operational run is planned within the next two weeks as part of the start of self-generation of electricity from the pyrolysis gas in the turbines.

The lessons learned from the TAD 2 test runs are now being applied to the third reactor in Dillingen. Preparations for the first test run should be completed by the end of March, with the aim of rapidly ramping up this reactor to 80 per cent of its nominal capacity. The new plant will triple the previous production capacity.

UK’s Tyre Recovery Association Welcomes Indian EPR Controls

As Indian agencies look at pollution, they claim the cause is European waste exports

European nations are leading contributors to the pollution, environmental damage and safety concerns caused by large scale export of end-of-life tyres (ELTs), according to the Indian tyre trade body the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA). Figures show there was a surge of waste tyre imports from developed countries to India last year, leaving the nation facing significant environmental challenges.

In fact, figures seen by Tyre and Rubber Recycling suggest that India imported 1.3 million tons of waste tyres in 2023-24.

 The Chairman of India’s Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA), Anshuman Singhania, raised concerns over the staggering statistic that India imported around 800,000 tonnes of scrapped tyres between April and November 2023. The UK was identified as one of the leading exporters of ELTs to India.

UK figures reveal some 300,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyre are exported from the UK per annum, yet the UK has at least 150,000 tonnes of licenced idle domestic recycling capacity of its own, possibly as high as 250,000 tons of spare capacity. It is claimed that 10-15% of India’s imported ELTs are sold as replacement tyres, with the rest go to outdated highly polluting batch-pyrolysis. 

In a December 2023 report issued by India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) proposed a colour system of categorisation in order to advance compliance and promote the upgrade to new technology. The pyrolysis sector was categorised as orange, one down from the most polluting red. The colour categorisation system is seen as a significant step towards improving the licenced plants and clamping down on the most toxic pyrolysis practices, illegal small scale backstreet pyrolysis plants where many of the UK’s ELTs are believed to end up.  

The TRA (Tyre Recovery Association) has welcomed the move from the ATMA to join forces with the CPCB and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to recognise the gravity of the situation and join force to implement these new regulations and tackle the significant environmental concerns from the disposal of whole end-of-life tyres which are exported in bales. 

Peter Taylor OBE, Secretary General of the TRA, said; “This confirms our long-held suspicions and what many operators have been saying for a long time. While we are grateful to India’s Automobile Tyre Manufactures Association, people should be shocked at how their findings lay bare the inadequacy of UK government’s response to TRA demands for tighter export controls.

“Now the Chair of the ATMA, Mr Anshuman Singhania, is also calling for tyres to be size reduced prior to import to India (in UK terms shredded) to prevent their abuse by an onward market, perhaps the UK government can finally act to update the out of date and failing UK regulatory framework. 

“The British government should also listen to Prashanth Doreswamy, President and CEO, Continental Tyres India, who has called for new regulations to be enacted in India to curtail the imports of waste tyres and allow only shred. There is no reason for the UK authorities to continue to dither, they should ensure we only export shredded tyres, grow our own circular environmentally responsible market and follow the very successful Australian example. 

ATMA has exposed the low standards of environmental practices which appear in some parts of their domestic industry. The evidence from them is clear, too many operators in the Indian onward market are not meeting the recognised environmental standards or their equivalence. It is time the UK government woke up and acknowledged that far from tackling this environmental assault they are enabling UK operators to facilitate environmental harm.

“It is time UK government does the right thing and help India stop these environmental abuses, as India’s manufacturers demand of us.”

Of course, the export of tyres to illegal operations – anywhere – is a breach of The Basel Convention. As is the failure to obtain Annex VII certification.  The UK government has, in its hands, the tools to deal with this using existing rules. That it does not, is an indictment of its efficacy.

The export of waste tyres could be controlled by implementing the existing rules.  There is a lack of interest or will on the part of DeFRA to call for the action required. In the meantime, UK domestic recycling suffers by being undermined by cheap and quick exports to India.

Indian EPR Steps up a Gear

Indian EPR for tyres is moving forwards with the latest mandate from the Indian government, the import of tyres for pyrolysis is explicitly banned

The Indian government has mandated that producers of waste tyres fulfil their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations by purchasing EPR Certificates from registered recyclers.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked all producers to fulfil their assigned EPR obligations for the fiscal years 2023 and 2024.

Indian tyre producers are now mandated to ensure efficient disposal of their products. This includes importers of new and waste tyres. They are required to procure EPR Certificates from accredited recyclers and regularly submit quarterly and annual reports to regulatory bodies.

“All registered Recyclers are hereby directed to generate EPR certificates against the waste tyres recycled. Furthermore, recyclers shall also recycle the waste tyres available with them and generate the EPR Certificates for them. The EPR certificates shall be generated on the EPR portal in compliance with the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management & Transboundary Amendment Rules, 2022) fulfilling the SOP/Instruction sheets available at EPR portal,” a CPCB notification said.

Recyclers can also transfer the EPR Certificates to the Producers based on the demands raised. If the producers or recyclers are not able to fulfil the requirement they will face punitive action.

“Necessary actions as per the rules will be initiated against non-complying entities,” the notification said.

Manufacturers and importers of new tyres in India face escalating recycling responsibilities under the EPR regime. Starting with 35 per cent of their 2020-21 production/imports in 2022-23, the target climbs to 70 per cent in 2023-24 and reaches 100 per cent of the previous year’s production from 2024-25 onwards.

New units join the programme after two years, hitting 100 per cent responsibility in the third year. Waste tyre importers have an even stricter task with managing 100 per cent of the tyres they imported in the previous year, with import for producing pyrolysis oil or char explicitly banned.

Source: Business Standard

Eriez Promotes John Klinge to Director-EMEA Operations & Strategy 

Eric Nelson, Eriez Vice President of Global Operations has announced the promotion of John Klinge to Director – EMEA Operations & Strategy, effective February 1, 2024

In this role, Klinge will spearhead the company’s strategic management initiatives in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. 

Klinge will manage and collaborate extensively with Eriez’ EMEA leadership teams to drive profitable growth and implement enhancements in products, systems, and capacity. His overarching goal is to further elevate Eriez’ presence in the diverse EMEA markets, solidifying the company’s position as an industry leader in the region.  

Nelson expresses his confidence in Klinge’s capabilities, stating, “Klinge’s exceptional management acumen, deep industry expertise, and strategic sales skills uniquely prepare him for this leadership role. Under his guidance, Eriez will accelerate its commitment to providing innovative solutions that exceed customer expectations in the EMEA region.” 

After serving as a Captain in the U.S. Army, Klinge earned bachelor’s degrees in political science, business, and military science from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in business administration from Pennsylvania State University at Erie. He joined Eriez in 2008, earning numerous promotions during his tenure. Klinge’s previous experience with the company includes roles in regional market and product management, aftermarket department leadership and, most recently, he served as Global Product Manager for Metal Detection. 

Pioneering Success with the CM Liberator and the CM Zero Waste Wire Cleaning System

CM Shredders has seen wire-free Tyre Derived Fuel (TDF) gain significant popularity as an alternative fuel source for several compelling reasons, including a mix of economic, environmental, and energy performance advantages

This is particularly true for waste-to-energy plants, cement kilns, and other industrial applications. In the rapidly evolving landscape of industrial tyre recycling, CM Shredders has established itself as a leader and innovator, underscored by its exceptional success with the CM Liberator and its complementary CM Zero Waste Wire Cleaning System.

CM Shredders’ trajectory of success extends beyond local markets to global resonance and appeal. The company has achieved significant milestones with the sales of the CM Liberator and the CM Zero Waste Systems, marking its presence across continents. Notably, new installations have been reported in the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, and South Korea, signifying the universal demand for efficient and innovative recycling solutions.

The U.S. market has been particularly receptive to the advanced recycling turnkey systems and solutions offered by CM Shredders. The company enjoys a strong client base and robust sales across the nation, with new installations proliferating in multiple states across the U.S. in 2023, and even more expected in 2024.

CM’s latest achievements include the development and installation of a state-of-the-art, high-capacity liberation system for Geocycle North America. Geocycle, a subsidiary of Holcim—a global titan in waste management and one of the world’s leading suppliers of cement, aggregates, and concrete—sought out CM Shredders for a solution that could meet its exacting standards. This collaboration underscores CM Shredders’ ability to deliver custom, high-performance recycling systems and solutions that cater to the specific needs of global leaders in waste management and materials technology.

At the heart of CM Shredders’ technological advancements is the CM Liberator, a system designed to separate steel wire from tyre rubber in the cleanest form possible. Its patented flow-through design minimises pinch points, while the serrated knife design enhances the cutting process, resulting in increased production.

The CM 4R Liberator, in particular, stands out for its ability to purify wire from rubber tyres, enabling processors to maximise revenue from both materials. The system’s operational efficiency is further enhanced by its robust design and reliability, ensuring long-term cost savings for clients.

The CM Liberator stands out as a symbol of innovation in the recycling industry. Designed to efficiently process a wide range of materials, it exemplifies CM Shredders’ commitment to advancing recycling technologies. The success of the Liberator is attributed to its versatility, durability, and the significant cost savings it offers to recycling operations by maximising material recovery.

The CM Zero Waste System further elevates the purity level of separated materials, cleaning steel wire to up to 98 per cent free of contaminants. This not only enables processors to enhance their environmental contributions but also significantly increases the resale value of steel, creating a lucrative opportunity in the recycling market.