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Michigan Lays Over 300 Miles of Rubberised Asphalt  

Ewan Scott
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Michigan Lays Over 300 Miles of Rubberised Asphalt  

As road construction projects take place throughout Michigan, over 100 road grants from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) since 1992 have included scrap tyres, including rubber surface treatments on over 200 lane-miles

In 2024, at least 70 lane-miles will be added. Lane miles are used to measure the total length and lane count of a given highway or road. One lane mile is one mile of one lane of road.

Kirsten Clemens, EGLE’s scrap tyre coordinator, notes that scrap tyres are increasingly being used in road construction projects. “As we all experience road construction projects this summer, it’s good to know that grants are supporting the use of scrap tyres in many of these projects,” she said.

By the end of 2024, EGLE grants will have funded over 300 miles of rubber modified pavement across Michigan in 32 communities.

EGLE has partnered with the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan State University (MSU), Michigan Technological University (MTU), Lawrence Technological University, county road commissions, and the Minnesota and Alabama tyre associations to improve paving, while recycling tyres.

EGLE’s Scrap Tire Program is responsible for overseeing the handling of scrap tyres generated in Michigan, cleaning up existing scrap tyre piles of 500 or more tyres, and expanding the reuse and recycling of scrap tyres.

Kuwait Tyre Dumping Still an Issue

Ewan Scott
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Kuwait Tyre Dumping Still an Issue

Despite the development of recycling plants in Kuwait, tyre dumping remains an issue, according to Chairperson of the Environmental Affairs Committee in the Municipal Council Alia Al-Farsi

Kuwait has often been held up as an example of how failure to recycle tyres can lead to large waste tyre stockpiles. After a series of fires and a great deal of unwanted media attention, Kuwait made moves to deal with its waste tyre mountain. An estimated 52 million tyres were removed from a site at Saad Al- Abdullah in 2021 to a recycling estate near Salmi.

Now, used tyres are still dumped randomly in landfills and desert areas – a serious issue that caused successive fire incidents in used tyre collection sites, not to mention their harmful effect on the environment, says Chairperson of the Environmental Affairs Committee in the Municipal Council Alia Al-Farsi.

Al-Farsi made the statement after a first workshop organised by the committee entitled, “Impact of Tyre Landfills and Dumping Sites on Public Health and Environmental Safety: The Current Situation and Sustainable Solutions.”

The workshop discussed the process of randomly disposing used tyres in Salmi and fire outbreak from time to time, causing fumes and materials harmful to health and the environment. Kuwait Municipality previously carried out the process of transporting these tyres; noting that countries around the world, including Kuwait, face big challenges in protecting the environment and reducing pollution through recycling and treating waste. Al-Farsi affirmed that the workshop focused on finding sustainable solutions, the most important of which are ways to achieve zero waste and the use of soft tyre waste in the asphalt industry. She said recycled materials from used tyres were used in the maintenance of a street in Riggae. In addition, recycled waste is utilised in many industries, such as fuel for factory furnaces and flooring for sports clubs, stadiums and bicycle paths.

Al-Farsi explained that the International Basel Convention on Strategies for Dealing with Hazardous Waste established a comprehensive table of the benefits and drawbacks of environmentally friendly waste disposal methods. She indicated that investment in the field of waste management and treatment is in line with the strategic objectives of the State of Kuwait in the field of improving the quality of life and sustaining and preserving resources. She concluded by emphasising that the workshop is a continuation of the efforts initiated by the current Municipal Council to address the problem of municipal waste management and public hygiene, and the role of the Environmental Affairs Committee in protecting the environment. On the other hand, council member Farah Al-Roumi said everyone is aware of the danger of accumulating car tyres and assembling them in landfills in a way that does not comply with environmental, security and safety standards. She warned this is a threat to the environment and public health, as it is a source of pollution and a waste of natural resources.

So, three years after the Saad Al- Abdullah tyre dump was removed, Kuwait still has challenges with tyre disposal. This begs the question about why India is importing end of life tyres from more remote locations such as the UK and increasingly, the USA?

Tallants Navarro Becomes Recycla

Ewan Scott
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Tallants Navarro Becomes Recycla

Tallants Navarro, the Spanish shredder manufacturer based in Albal, near Valencia, has announced that it is in the process of changing its name to Recycla in order to make it easier to target the export market

The company, which is part of Grupo Soledad, the Aspe, Alicante based conglomerate, whose members include Spain’s largest retreader, Insa Turbo, is currently operating with two names, Tallants Navarro in the Spanish domestic market, where the company is the market leader, and Recycla for overseas markets.

Grupo Soledad’s Global Chief Sales Officer, Salvador Perez Lucena

According to Grupo Soledad’s Global Chief Sales Officer, Salvador Perez Lucena, there are currently 21 tyre recycling plants in Spain, 16 of which are equipped with the company’s shredders. Five of these are part of Grupo Soledad. The Group has also sold shredding plants to France, Germany, Portugal and Morrocco.

“We are in the early stages of developing our brand overseas,” he commented, “but we are looking to develop the Recycla brand on a worldwide basis, with a focus on Europe, South America and the Arab countries. Our shredders are good for tyres, plastics and wood, and we also possess particular expertise in the manufacture of industrial knives. As the only shredder brand belonging to a recycling company, our tailor-made waste management machinery combines both artisanal and technology benefits, the aim of which is to transform the present and future core business of the company without forgetting our beginnings.”

Nokian Tyres and UPM to Cooperate to Replace Carbon Black

Ewan Scott
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Nokian Tyres and UPM to Cooperate to Replace Carbon Black

Nokian Tyres and UPM, a leading biomaterials production expert, are partnering to further increase sustainability in the tyre industry by introducing the first concept tyre made with a new renewable material with the potential to replace a significant part of the carbon black currently used in tyre production

The innovative material, called UPM BioMotion™ RFF is a promising fully renewable lignin-based alternative for traditional carbon black, reducing the need for fossil materials and lowering carbon emissions in tire manufacturing.

Nokian Tyres has long been innovating to use the material and has registered a patent for using the material in tyre applications. Nokian Tyres is now licensing its patent to UPM, which enables UPM to provide the raw material to the tire industry. UPM will produce the material at its soon to be ready biochemicals biorefinery in Leuna, Germany.

“Our partnership with Nokian Tyres marks the exciting entry of our Renewable Functional Fillers into the global tyre markets. In successfully demonstrating their application value, it helps us to lay the groundwork for scaling our biorefinery business so that we can make a significant contribution to the sustainable transformation of the mobility sector and beyond,” says Michael Duetsch, Vice President Biochemicals at UPM.

Nokian Tyres Green Step Ligna – the first ever concept tyre made with the fully renewable lignin raw material UPM BioMotion™ RFF

Nokian Tyres Green Step Ligna concept tyre is the first ever tyre made with UPM BioMotion™ RFF, a fully renewable wood-based lignin raw material produced by UPM. In the concept tyre all fossil carbon black in the tyre’s sidewalls is replaced by the new raw material.

“With the concept tyre we demonstrate the usability of the groundbreaking new raw material in tyres. Our concept tyre marks a leap towards the use of renewable materials not only for us, but the whole tire industry. By prototyping this renewable material in our tyres, we aim to set new standards for environmental responsibility,” says Teemu Soini, VP, Innovations & Development at Nokian Tyres.

Features superior to carbon black

“We are constantly working on innovations that advance us towards our target of increasing the share of recycled or renewable raw materials in tyres to 50 per cent by 2030.

Since 2022, a portion of the carbon black used by Nokian Tyres has been from recycled materials. We see lignin as a promising renewable alternative to traditional carbon black, and in the future, we hope to see that lignin based renewable filler materials would find their way to tyres as well complementing an increasing share of recycled content,” explains Teemu Soini.

According to initial lab tests UPM BioMotion™ RFF has features superior to traditional carbon black. Replacing a significant part of the carbon black currently used in tyres with the new renewable filler material offers great potential for more sustainable tyres as fillers represent approximately 30 per cent of a tyre’s raw materials.

UPM will first supply UPM BioMotion RFF to Nokian Tyres for prototyping. This includes rigorous testing to use the new material in production. Nokian Tyres is carefully evaluating the material’s performance, safety, and environmental impact compared to traditional carbon black.
 

BKT Joins ‘Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber’

Ewan Scott
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BKT Joins ‘Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber’

The Off-Highway tyre manufacturer enhances its commitment to sustainable practices by joining GPSNR, the organisation that promotes the sustainable production, sourcing and use of natural rubber

BKT, renowned for its rapid adaptation to best global practices, is taking a further step in promoting long-term sustainable practices, culminating in a more environmentally conscious and friendly production in line with the principles defined by GPSNR.

Natural rubber production holds several opportunities for improvement in both environmental and social terms. The expansion of rubber plantations is likely to influence tropical forests, but by means of sustainable practices, it is possible to protect biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, ensuring dignified working conditions and respecting workers’ rights on rubber plantations is central to promoting an ethical and sustainable industry.

To address such challenges and promote sustainable solutions, the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) brings together natural rubber producers, traders, tire manufacturers, nongovernmental organisations, academic institutions and other industry partners.  

By its membership of GPSNR, BKT is strengthening its commitment to aligning the natural rubber supply chain with the organisation’s guidelines. As a member of GPSNR, the company has also access to a platform that aims to standardise manufacturers’ sustainability reporting and digital platforms for compliance with the requirements of the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) that will come into effect as of December 2024.

“The principles on which GPSNR bases its roots are in line with our ESG policy. This path will allow us to develop and align our digital tracking initiative for the sustainable sourcing of natural rubber in accordance with internationally accepted principles. At the same time, the GPSNR membership allows us to sustain and expand our sustainability initiatives aiming at accelerating both structural and quality changes in our natural rubber supply chain over the next five years”- comments Mr. Rajiv Poddar, Joint Managing Director at BKT.

To support its mission, BKT is cooperating closely with a number of Indian government agencies – including the Rubber Board and Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association of India – and with some of the world’s leading players in the natural rubber industry.

“Being a member of GPSNR also means that we have a direct contact with suppliers of premium natural rubber across the world, which is crucial for a company like ours that has always focused on high quality standards.” – concludes Poddar. “This is a both strategic and conscious choice that supports our growth ambitions and allows us to pursue ever higher levels in sustainable production.”

By joining GPSNR, BKT further confirms its compliance with core principles in the areas of sustainable forestry, water resource management, protection of rights and territories, human and labour rights, equality, traceability, transparency and anti-corruption, and training and education.

Bradford Fire Site Owner Jailed

Ewan Scott
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Bradford Fire Site Owner Jailed

Almost four years after the Bradford tyre fire at a disused kart track, the owner has been sentenced to a year in jail

The Court heard how Stuart Bedford had ignored warnings from the Environment Agency and had collected an estimated 1 million tyres on the site, with an estimated “value” of around £1M. (Which begs the question, given the level of waste tyre exports to India, why Bedford simply did not sell on the tyres and get them off his sites)

Between May and July of 2020, Bedford received visits, phone calls, and official letters – including a formal stop notice – warning him that there were more tyres on the site than he was allowed to have.

The court also heard that Bedford was running a second site at Wright Business Park in Doncaster, which was still receiving tyres three days after the Bradford site caught fire and eventually had more than 208,000 tyres inside a unit with a further 42,000 tyres outside.

The fire, which started on the 16th November 2020, took until the 5th December to extinguish.

Bedford, 62, of Harrogate, was jailed at Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting operating an unauthorised regulated facility and keeping controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution and harm to human health.

Joseph Millington, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, told the court that Bedford was the “controlling mind” behind the site, despite his wife, Vicky, being director of the company running the property.

Vicky Bedford, 51, of Ripon, was described as a “straw director” but accepted she held some responsibility.

She received a 12-month community order after admitting the same charges.

Millington added; “Mr Bedford could be in no doubt of not only the illegality of his actions but the concerns the authorities had about him.”

Fire services were deployed to the site from 16 November until 5 December, costing £1,135,000, according to the prosecution.

Upon passing sentence, Judge Jonathan Gibson told him: “There is no doubt in my mind that you deliberately broke the law.

“You knew from an early stage that the number of tyres that you stored in either of the sites was vastly more than any exemption certificate would have had for either of those sites.”

He added: “You were reckless in the true meaning of the word.”

Pyrum rCB in 70% of the Schwalbe Tyre Range

Ewan Scott
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Pyrum rCB in 70% of the Schwalbe Tyre Range

Pyrum rCB to be used in the production of 70% of the Schwalbe tyre product range, with some 940,000 bicycle tyres already recycled by Pyrum

One year after bicycle tyre manufacturer Schwalbe introduced the world’s first circular tyre using Pyrum rCB, the use of rCBs in tyre production is being massively expanded. From now on, 70 per cent of all Schwalbe tyres will be made using Pyrum rCB.

Pyrum takes over the recycling of the tyres in the recycling system. The recovered carbon black is returned to Schwalbe to produce new bicycle tyres. The rCB replaces 100 per cent of fossil carbon black in the production of new bicycle tyres without compromising on quality and at the same time saves 80 per cent CO₂ equivalent. Thanks to the wide range of possible applications, rCB is now also used in Schwalbe’s high-end tyres for road, gravel and mountain bikes as well as in city and cargo bikes.

Felix Jahn, Head of CSR at Schwalbe said; “This is another milestone on our path of ecological responsibility. Thanks to intensive research and development work, we have succeeded in switching to the use of rCB without having to compromise on the quality and performance of the tyres. This is always our top priority when using recycled materials.”

Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG added; “It’s great for us to see how our rCB is becoming increasingly important in sustainable tyre production. The fact that 70 per cent of the Schwalbe range is already made from our own rCB not only proves the quality of our product, but also shows that great things can be achieved with a lot of commitment and cooperation.”

To date, 940,000 bicycle tyres have already been recycled. Schwalbe is already conducting intensive research into using rCB for the production of its entire tyre range in the future.

Ergon gets Grant for Modified Asphalt using TPO

Ewan Scott
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Ergon gets Grant for Modified Asphalt using TPO

Ergon’s modified asphalt composition uses waste tyre pyrolysis oil

A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11970619B2) discloses a modified asphalt composition that involves combining an asphaltic binder with a reduced-PAH pyrolysed oil fraction. The process includes pyrolysing rubber articles or rubber particles separately to obtain the pyrolysed oil fraction with a specified initial boiling point or flash point, and then removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds from the fraction. Various methods such as fractionally distilling, solvent extracting, centrifuging, or wiped film evaporating are employed to eliminate PAH compounds from the pyrolysed oil fraction.

Furthermore, the patent claims specify the characteristics of the modified asphalt composition, including the maximum allowable PAH content, concentration of specific PAH compounds, carbon black solids content, transparency, flash point, and the percentage of the pyrolysed oil fraction in the overall composition. The composition can also include synthetic polymers to enhance its properties and can be used in asphalt emulsions for pavement construction or maintenance. Additionally, the patent describes a method for maintaining pavements by applying the modified asphalt composition as a pavement maintenance binder, followed by a layer of aggregate chips to create a skid-resistant surface. The temperature ranges for the pavement maintenance binder and asphalt emulsion are also detailed in the claims, along with the use of the modified asphalt composition in asphalt paving mixtures with aggregate.

This adds to the pathways to recycling tyre derived materials and to the sustainability of asphalt.

Source: Global Data

LD Carbon Gains Support from Toyota Fund

Ewan Scott
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LD Carbon Gains Support from Toyota Fund

Woven Capital leads Series C round funding LDC Carbon to advance the circular economy by diverting used tyres from landfills and supporting development of high-performance recycled car parts

LD Carbon, a leading producer of recovered carbon black, closed a $28M Series C funding round led by Toyota’s growth fund, Woven Capital, with participation by  Meritz Securities, Investwith, Industrial Bank of Korea, Hyundai Motor Group ZER01NE, Elohim Partners and New Main Capital.

LD Carbon will use the investment to scale operations to recycle end-of-life tyres and material from end-of-life vehicles into recovered carbon black and pyrolysis oil through pyrolysis and material recovery technology, which in turn can be used to create new automotive parts and tyres. The investment will advance LD Carbon’s mission of accelerating the circular economy while delivering material cost and carbon savings to global customers.

Manufacturing virgin carbon black is a highly polluting process, generating 25 million metric tons of CO2 annually, while another 1.6 million metric tons come from the 28 per cent of all waste tyres that are burned [figure from LDC Carbon]— the combined CO2 equivalent of more than 9M passenger vehicles. LD Carbon’s pyrolysis and material recovery process uses patented recovered carbon black manufacturing technology to provide nearly 100 per cent recovery of waste tyres, providing an environmentally safe option for recovered carbon black (“rCB”) and developing pyrolysis oil.

“LD Carbon is solving a tough chemistry problem that continues to challenge manufacturers across the automotive supply chain as they face increasing pressure to embrace sustainability goals,” said Prashant Bothra, Woven Capital principal who is joining the LD Carbon board. “With a major plant under construction, the company is scaling their proven technology to maximise productivity and reduce the cost of creating high-performance recovered carbon black, offering substantial value compared to virgin materials. With regulatory and corporate tailwinds, a strong sales pipeline, and a first-mover advantage in Asia, we believe LD Carbon is well-positioned to play an important role in the sustainable future.”

Automakers are increasingly adopting increased recycled content for cars. This demand is driven by new corporate net-zero targets, emissions requirements, and European Commission proposals calling for car manufacturers to use 25 per cent recycled plastic content, of which at least 5 per cent must come from end-of-life vehicles.

“Our mission is to dramatically improve the sustainability profile of the automotive industry, while lowering costs,” said Seong Mun Baek, CEO and co-founder of LD Carbon. “Partnering with Woven Capital and other strategic investors will give us invaluable insights into scaling operations to support global OEMs as they seek to offer more sustainable vehicles to discerning consumers and business customers. Together, we can ensure automotive and its related industries are more environmentally friendly than ever while meeting high standards for cost and performance.”

LD Carbon’s existing plant in Gimcheon, South Korea, has an annual capacity of over 7,000 tons of rCB, which is supplied to major tyre and rubber product manufacturers. Additionally, LD Carbon has secured a 10-year supply agreement with SK Incheon Petrochemicals for its tyre pyrolysis oil. The company is investing in the construction of Asia’s largest tyre pyrolysis plant in Dangjin City, Chungcheongnam-do, with completion targeted in 2024. Its annual capacity will be 50,000 tons of end-of-life tyres turned into 23,000 tons of TPO, 20,000 tons of rCB, and 7,000 tons of other valuable gas and materials

Tyre and Rubber Recycling – The Tyre Recycling Podcast Episode #62 – UK General Election Special on Waste Management

Ewan Scott
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Tyre and Rubber Recycling – The Tyre Recycling Podcast Episode #62 – UK General Election Special on Waste Management

With elections looming in the UK on July the 4th, we decided to record a general election special of the Tyre Recycling podcast where we looked at the current status of waste tyre management in the UK and what policies (if any) the campaigning parties were looking to implement should they be elected. Editor Ewan Scott additionally spoke to Peter Taylor OBE, Secretary General of Tyre Recovery Association about the issues facing a future a government and his hopes for action rather than the inaction seen with regards to the T8 exemption.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Episode #62: General Election Special

01:01 Current status of waste tyres in the UK

02:45 Preview of Interview with Peter Taylor OBE, Secretary General of Tyre Recovery Association

02:56 Interview with Peter Taylor OBE, Secretary General of Tyre Recovery Association

03:13 Peter Taylor OBE: “We need a much better approach from Government on tyre and waste recycling”

05:29 Ewan Scott: “Only 44% of UK tyre production is recycled and most of it is exported”

06:30 Taylor details three issues for the future Government to tackle

10:03 Ewan Scott, Editor of Tyre & Rubber Recycling reviews the manifestos and their commitments to waste recycling and management

14:47 Conclusion to Episode #62: General Election Special

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