Sign Up to the Leading Journal in the Tyre Recycling Industry
Tyre and Rubber Recycling provides the global tyre recycling sector with a regular free e-newsletter service. At least 50 newsletters are produced each year detailing all the latest news and features from our pages. To make sure you don’t miss out on the latest news stories from around the world please submit your details via the form below, and we’ll happily add you to our circulation list.
Plans for a pyrolysis plant in Swansea have creates a surge of objections to the proposed recycling plant
Tyregen UK Ltd has plans for an 8,000tpa pyrolysis plant in Swansea. In an outrage so typical when pyrolysis is mentioned, local objections to the plan have been piling up.
Gowerton councillor Susan Jones said people had contacted her about the proposed installation and that “all are against”.
Swansea council is considering a permit application from the company, but permission is already in place to process waste tyres and plastics at the site.
Tyregen UK Ltd said some of the gas captured as part of the process would be reused at the plant at Westfield Industrial Estate in Waunarlwydd, with the remainder treated before being released into the atmosphere via a chimney stack.
Waunarlwydd councillor Wendy Lewis said: “We are a city who pride ourselves on pollution control and this would be hideous for us in Waunarlwydd.”
She said the proposed unit would be near a nursing home, school and an accommodation complex for older people, and feared people would be stuck indoors for days in the event of a fire.
A Gowerton resident said the area already experienced significant traffic congestion and that more and more new homes were being built.
At the recent Tyre recovery Association Annual Forum, one of the topics discussed was the lack of support in the UK for the recycling sector. Somehow it is deemed more environmentally friendly to ship waste halfway around the world for processing in less than satisfactory conditions, than it is to do so safely in the UK and build up self-reliance in recycling.
Modern European standard pyrolysis plants are not huge polluters but NIMBYism keeps putting barriers in the way of developing successful British industries – and in the case of Swansea, creating jobs in a post industrial area much in need of jobs.
Recently, the final of the León 2024 Nordic Walking Cup took place, an event that has stood out not only for the sporting competition, but also for its firm commitment to sustainability
The tournament’s organisation has put the focus on environmental responsibility as one of its fundamental pillars, offering an innovative proposal: the trophies given to the winners of each category have been made from recycled rubber, a choice that reinforces the symbiosis between sport and sustainability.
In a gesture full of symbolism, the winners of the higher categories received the “Twist” trophy, an elegant piece inspired by the famous Turning Torso skyscraper in Malmö, which evokes the dynamics and movement of the competition. For their part, the youngest were awarded with the “Pocket Pawns”, small figures that, beyond their playful design, underline the importance of instilling ecological values from an early age. The awards were made from recycled rubber by Neusus.
Sustainability was not limited only to the recycled rubber trophies at the León2024 Nordic Walking Cup, but also materialised in an innovative advance in sports footwear. Several of the participating women, including the winner of the competition, wore a pioneering proposal in their shoes: the León brand Tiresouloffered them a resoling with soles made from recycled rubber from Neusus, an initiative that aims to mark a before and after in the use of recycled materials within the sports footwear sector.
This collaboration between Neusus, Tiresoul and the participants underlines a double objective. On the one hand, it promotes the use of sustainable materials, showing how waste can be transformed into valuable resources for the industry. On the other hand, the initiative seeks to highlight the technical advantages that recycled rubber offers over other traditional materials: greater resistance to wear, excellent grip on different surfaces, ergonomics that reduce athlete fatigue and superior durability, qualities that make it especially suitable for sports such as Nordic walking.
Tiresoul’s commitment to recycled soles not only responds to an increasing demand for sustainability, but also puts the capacity of this material to compete in terms of performance with more conventional options at the centre of the debate. In addition, the fact that one of the tournament winners used these shoes reinforces confidence in recycled rubber as a high-quality alternative.
This advance, which combines sport and sustainable innovation, reflects a growing commitment within the footwear industry to adopt more environmentally friendly solutions without compromising performance. In this way, the León 2024 Nordic Walking Cup was consolidated as a benchmark in the promotion of a sport in harmony with the environment, setting a precedent in the organisation of tournaments that are more conscious and respectful of the environment.
Pyrum Innovations AG has published its consolidated financial report for the period from 1 January to 30 June 2024
The company’s half-year results and financial position continued to be largely characterised by investments at the company’s headquarters in Dillingen/Saar and for orders of plant components with long delivery times for the new site in Perl-Besch, as well as investments in personnel expansion and the further development of the organisational structure. In addition, the throughput volumes in the rCB pellet plant were still below target.
Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG said; “We look back on an exciting and successful first half of the year at Pyrum. Our industrial-scale plant is finally in operation and the start-up phase of the new TAD 2 and TAD 3 production lines has been successful. This lays the foundation for our future development. We are currently doing everything we can to ensure that TAD 2 and 3 can soon go into continuous operation, which will also be reflected in the figures in the future. In addition, the focus is on financing further expansion.“
Sales in the first six months were EUR 708 thousand, up 41.3 per cent on the same period of the previous year (EUR 501 thousand). With the expansion and optimisation of the plant in Dillingen progressing according to plan, own work capitalised amounted to EUR 3,614 thousand (H1 2023: EUR 7,613 thousand). The decline corresponds to the lower cost of materials required to produce own work capitalised as the level of completion of the plant expansion in Dillingen increases.
As expected, total output fell by around 44 per cent year-on-year to EUR 4,536 thousand (H1 2023: EUR 8,155 thousand) due to a lower volume of own work that can be capitalised. Other operating income more than doubled year-on-year to EUR 800 thousand (H1 2023: EUR 356 thousand). This was due to investment grants of EUR 531 thousand (EUR 151 thousand) for the creation of jobs in Dillingen resulting from the plant expansion. The consolidated net result for the period amounted to EUR -4,787 thousand (H1 2023: EUR -4,408 thousand). Available liquidity increased to EUR 9,502 thousand as of 30 June 2024 (31 December 2023: EUR 4,483 thousand) due to the payment of two further loan tranches from BASF for the construction of the plant in Perl-Besch.
As a result of lower costs, the company expects earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of between EUR -10.0 million and EUR -12.0 million for 2024, which is slightly above the previously expected range of EUR -11.0 million to EUR -13.0 million.
As a result of the pelletising plant’s throughput being lower than planned, the company predicts that sales will not meet the original forecast until the fourth quarter. Consequently, sales for the year as a whole are now expected to be between EUR 1.9 million and EUR 2.4 million (originally EUR 3.0 million to EUR 4.0 million). In addition, total output is also expected to be lower than planned at approx. EUR 10 million (originally between EUR 25 million and EUR 30 million). Contrary to planning, no plant purchase contract has yet been signed, as despite progress on the projects, no approval procedure necessary for a final investment decision has yet been completed. In this respect, the company is dependent on the processing times of the approval authorities.
In addition, there will also be a change in the composition of Pyrum’s Executive Board. When his contract expires on 15 October 2024, Michael Kapf will no longer serve as a member of the company’s Executive Board for personal reasons. However, after his departure, he will remain with Pyrum Innovations AG as an employee and will continue to be primarily responsible for the company’s IT.
Alf Schmidt, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Pyrum Innovations AG, thanks Michael Kapf on behalf of the entire Supervisory Board; ‘We are extremely grateful to Michael Kapf for his dedicated and successful work over the past years since the company was founded. He has played a decisive role in making Pyrum a leading company in the field of tyre thermolysis. We are very pleased that he will remain with the company as an employee even after his departure from the Executive Board and will continue to contribute his expertise.”
After Michael Kapf’s departure, the Executive Board of Pyrum Innovations AG will consist of CEO Pascal Klein and CFO Kai Winkelmann. Pyrum considers itself very well positioned to continue its growth course, given the current size of the company.
The Group Interim Report for the first half of 2024 of Pyrum Innovations AG is available on the company’s website.
Brehmer Mfg., Inc., a manufacturer specialising in fertilizer, hog, and tyre recycling equipment, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an Open House event
The Brehmer event will take place on Friday, October 4, 2024. The public is invited to tour the plant, visit with workers, and learn about the company and its products.
Since its founding in 1974, Brehmer Mfg. has grown from four employees in a 1,500-squarefoot, former olive factory to almost 60,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 45 fulltime employees, building a variety of agricultural and tyre-recycling equipment.
In 1991, the company was approached by a newly formed business known as Tire Resource Systems. They were charged to design and build the first product of what would become Eagle International Tire Recycling Equipment. This hydraulic-powered tyre shear, the TruCut, hit the market in 1994 and led to the development of other shears, sidewall cutters, derimmers, and debeaders capable of processing tyres up to 59/80R63.
Founded by Rey Brehmer, Brehmer Mfg. has remained a family business. Son and current President Joe Brehmer took over the reins in 1998 after Rey’s retirement, bringing in brother Jamie as the company’s Vice President. Younger brother Chad joined the family business later in 2012. Sadly, Rey passed away in 2015, leaving a legacy of hard work, integrity, and innovation within the company.
The next generation of Brehmers has started making an impact on the business as well. Brothers Ryan and Alex Brehmer, the current Vice President, joined the company in 2015 and 2019, respectively.
In 2017, Brehmer acquired Eagle International Tire Recycling Equipment, expanding their global presence by building a network of dealerships. They continued to grow by developing a highly sought after line of fertilizer tenders and a patented line of hog feeders for commercial growers.
“It’s hard to believe that it has been 50 years,” observes Joe Brehmer. “Our success would not have been possible without the dedication of the men and women who have worked here. The amazing support we got from our customers and vendors made this journey very special.”
As Brehmer Mfg. celebrates its 50th anniversary, the spirit of innovation that Rey Brehmer instilled in the company continues to thrive. The company continues to build products that create a lasting impact, growing from humble beginnings to a global company with products in 27 countries.
Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa – Redisa has approached the Pretoria High Court to review and set aside government’s Industry Waste Tyre Management Plan (IWTMP)
Redisa believes that the IWTMP will have detrimental environmental outcomes.
“The plan infringes on the rights of South Africans to a conserved and protected environment, as enshrined in the Constitution. The plan was approved by the previous Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecyin March, but it is an unlawful, irrational, unreasonable and procedurally unfair administrative action,” the entity says in a statement.
“We have taken this step as last resort. Nobody wants to be part of expensive and protracted legal battles, but a continuation of the course this plan sets for the management of waste tyres would be disastrous,” comments CEO Hermann Erdmann.
“In the highly-unlikely event that it is successfully implemented, it would have destructive socioeconomic consequences,” the organisation posits.
Redisa states that the plan sets unachievable and unrealistic targets, did not use the information and projections that were available, and lacks any budgetary detail, such as failing to usefully incorporate the Waste Tyre Levy.
Redisa points out that using recycling to create new markets to absorb the new products, which is pivotal to a circular economy, does not feature in the IWTMP.
“As a country, we produce at least 170 000 t/y of waste tyres. They end up in landfills, storage facilities, left all over our landscape and are often burned informally to get scrap steel, which is then sold. The toxins and pollutants that waste tyres release when improperly burned poison the air, water and soil,” Erdmann explains.
“If, in this context, a new and dysfunctional waste tyre plan is to be implemented, the consequences will be terrible. Regardless of legal processes, we wish to engage with all stakeholders who are interested in avoiding further ecological damage arising from waste tyres,” Erdmann explains.
From 2013 to 2017, Redisa managed waste tyres in South Africa. During this tenure, it built 22 tyre collection centres, employed over 3 000 people, created 226 small waste enterprises and offset 59 000 t of CO2 emissions, the entity highlights.
A wind of change blew through the TRA Forum this year, news changes impacting everyone in the chain, and a fresh attitude to cooperation across the tyre sector
The presentations at the TRA event included news of waste tracking and a change to how Carriers, Brokers and Dealers are to be regulated.
The keynote speaker at the Forum was George Eustice, Environment Secretary from 2019 to 2022, having been involved in DEFRA since 2013, in various roles.
Eustice opened his presentation with the statement; “There is a weakness in the regulatory system…. That can’t be right.” He added; “DEFRA is aware of the levels of waste crime from T8s through to organised crime. Over the years, a package of recommendations have been implemented to address waste crime.”
George Eustice gave the TRA members an overview of the current situation on EA regulations and tyre recycling
However, he outlined what the Forum has been told many times by the Environment Agency, that the T8 has no fee attached, and as there is no revenue, there is no funding to investigate unless evidence of a breach of the rules has been raised.
The emphasis of enforcement has been on ensuring those permitted sites are in compliance with their permits.
There was some discussion about the need to pyrolysis, and the need to make access to recycling simpler.
The audience was polite, no hecklers pointed out the obvious, though there was some private discussion as to why in 14 years nothing had been done to rectify the situation. Which, as later speakers were to show, was not quite the reality of the situation.
Bain outlines the issues the EA face in managing waste data under the current system. Paper-based data is difficult to collate, it is often not completed, or completed improperly. Officers looking at the paper-based data may have to cross reference with multiple databases, both digital and paper-based. This takes up a great deal of time and delays the point at which an investigation might be triggered.
The EA’s Chris Bain broke down how waste tracking would function to replace the current paper-based system
The waste tracking system will be a digital process coming from a comprehensive review of the Waste Transfer notes, Hazardous Waste Carrier Note and Annex VII requirements. It will bring all the “paperwork under one digital platform. This will give the EA data in near real time. The biggest benefit will be in helping the EA understand where to intervene.
The TRA was told that the change comes under the Waste Regulatory Reform Programme designed to tackle waste crime. The Go Live date is expected to be April 2025. Everyone in the chain will be expected to comply with the new regulations and reporting system. In theory, tyres entering collection outside the system, will be blocked from entering the system further down the chain – there will be no market for them.
This change was on its way under George Eustice’s oversight, so this mitigated comments about nothing having been done.
Brackley advised that the current two-tier system was going to be replaced, it was unmanageable and had flaws. There were currently some 229,000 Tier One carriers who paid no fees, and some 130,000 Tier Two Carriers paying £154 every three years for their licence. That was £154 per business. So, the local operator with one or two trucks paid the same fees as a national carrier with maybe a couple of hundred trucks. This was to change, and businesses would pay fees relative to their size. Currently, the EA did not know who amongst these Tier Two operators were Carriers, Broker or Dealers. Tier One carriers pay no fees, so the familiar lack of funds leads to minimal investigation. That was a system not fit for purpose according to Brackley.
The EA’s Sam Brackley discussed future Carrier, Broker dealer regulations, which will clean up the tyre recycling chain
The new system will see the Carriers, Brokers and Dealers brought into the Environmental Permitting Regulations. They will all have to employ someone who is Technically Competent to manage operations and complete the transfer paperwork (QV Waste Tracking Requirements). This is a change from allowing the use of a TC Consultant, who may or may not be completely familiar with the materials or the markets.
The EA will have more regulatory tools and will be able to step in to suspend or revoke Permits. This, Brackley believes will bring people into line, because if a Permit is suspended or revoked, then that removes the ability of his customers to buy and sell through that operator, as the waste ill be tracked and if a link in the chain is removed, the waste cannot move past that broken link and the business will have to go to an alternate Permitted operator.
There will be three areas of Permitting – Controllers – these will be the Brokers and Dealers; Transporters, these will be the Carriers; and Controller Transporters who do both. These will be further broken down to cover those who import and export in each field.
The CIWM is working with the EA to establish training for the employed Technical Competence staff. Failure to have an employed TC will see a suspension or revocation of Permits.
The question was asked about how the EA would handle Brokers or Dealers not based in the UK. Brackley admitted that this was problematical, but in essence, if the overseas Broker or Dealer could not supply the correct Waste Tracking details, then the UK supplier would be held at fault for supplying outside the accountable chain.
In the meantime, the European Union is developing its own waste tracking system, which will be Pan-European and will be centralised in Brussels. In theory, there should be no issues with non-compliant Brokers and Dealers in Europe.
BTMA’s Darren Lindsay asked the TRA if EPR might be a solution
The TRA had another key contribution, which came from Rajiv Budhraja, Director General India’s Automotive Tyre Manufacturer’s Association. Budhraja has been at the forefront in pushing for reform of India’s tyre recycling sector, though has stepped away from calling for a complete ban on waste tyre imports, to a position where he called for cooperation between the authorities in the UK and India to resolve the problem of waste tyres going to pyrolysis. One solution which was mooted was the ban on the export of whole tyres, but he stopped short of calling for shred only exports.
The TRA Forum was concluded by Darren Lindsey, Chief Executive, British Tyre Manufacturers Association. In a well-prepared discussion, he called for co-operation between everyone in the industry, and argues that there was a failure at government level to ensure enforcement and to encourage recycling. That was reiterated by theNational Tyre Dealers Association’s Stephan Hey, who went further asking for better legislation and incentivisation to help the recycling industry grow and help build a recycling sector that was an asset to the UK. Lindsay concluded with a question. One rarely raised openly at TRA Forums, “Is there a need for Extended Producer Responsibility/ It has its problems, but it might be better than what we currently have.”
The fourth edition of the Recircle Awards, the now established industry awards event celebrating sustainability in the tyre retreading and recycling sectors is set to launch on October 8, when the launch video will be streamed around the world on the Recircle Awards Youtube and Facebook channels
The launch video will be broadcast at 6 pm GMT when the schedule for the nominations and voting process will be announced, as well as the location and date of the Awards Ceremony and a list of the first eighteen award categories. The nominations process will commence on the same day following the launch broadcast, when readers will be able to nominate companies and individuals for any of the award categories that are open to the public vote.
The Recircle Awards Launch Ceremony can be viewed at:
The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission ( MACC ) is investigating alleged corruption that has allowed illegal tyre and plastic recycling in Telok Gong, Port Klang
The MACC is in the process of inspecting local authorities and how the population of Telok Gonghave been exposed to pollution and chemical aromas from the tyre and plastics recycling factories in the area.
It is alleged that the majority of these operations are carried out illegally and with minimum environmental protections.
In another investigation, MACC is looking at a syndicate allegedly supplying “subsidised” diesel to the local market in Port Klang. This is the second such investigation in the area.
They investigations may, or may not be connected, but pyrolysis of tyres and plastics can create diesel fuel that if from unregulated producers, will be outside the tax system.
Time perhaps for the Malaysian authorities to fully address the issue of tyre recycling in one of the world’s largest rubber producing economies.
Evonik wants to help make rubber materials from scrap tyres easier to re-use in the manufacture of new automobile tyres
So far, the suitability of recycled rubber has been very limited because its chemical structure hampers interaction with new tyre materials. A team of researchers at Evonik has now made a key step forward with a process that could make it possible to use up to four times as much recycled rubber in new tyres as in the past. “That brings us much closer to the key targets of sustainability and resource efficiency in this sector,” says Christian Mani, Project Manager Circularity at Evonik.
New tyre rubber is normally produced by vulcanization of raw rubber, sulphur, and other components. When heat and pressure are applied, the sulphur forms bonds with the long carbon chains in the rubber, resulting in a robust, three-dimensional network. That is also the structure of ground tyre rubber from end-of-life-tyres. However, since the material has already been vulcanised, its properties differ from those of non-vulcanised rubber. Currently, manufacturers therefore set an admixture of about 5 per cent ground tire rubber from end-of-life-tyres as the upper limit.
Consequently, only small amounts of recycled rubber powder are re-used in the manufacture of new automobile tyres at present. The majority of the recycled rubber is used, for example, in the production of protective elements for playgrounds and running tracks. In addition, many end-of-life-tyres still undergo thermal reprocessing as fuels for energy generation. However, Mani is sure; “Rubber is far too valuable a raw material to be used only once in tyres. We want to incorporate it into a circular system.” He and his team of researchers have now succeeded in reversing the vulcanisation of rubber to a large extent. “By adding a special formulation containing vinyl silanes, the firm bonds in the recycled rubber can be split. We cleave the sulphur bridges in the rubber, yet leave as many of the long carbon chains as possible untouched,” explains Mani.
The research team has already used these vinyl silanes successfully for devulcanisation. In trials, the proportion of recyclate in the rubber blend could be increased to up to 20 per cent—compared with the technical threshold of around 5 per cent currently set as a limit.
Evonik is now heading for the next milestones with test series and trials. The aim is to find a solution that customers could use in industrial production in the foreseeable future. “Ultimately, our approach must prove convincing on a large, commercial scale,” says Mani.
