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Avon Protection Integrates Artis Materials Innovation Lab

Ewan Scott
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Avon Protection Integrates Artis Materials Innovation Lab

Avon Protection, has announced a significant milestone in its commitment to innovation within the defence industry

The renowned Artis research and development laboratory, located in Melksham, UK, has been brought into the Avon Protection brand, aligning the lab’s legacy of quality with the Avon Protection name.

In a world where the safety of operators is paramount, Avon Protection continues to stand at the forefront of technological innovation. “Our equipment protects over 3.5 million users around the world each day, in large part because we have continued to innovate and improve comfort and safety levels for operators no matter how extreme their environment or how daunting their task,” emphasised Steve Elwell, President of Avon Protection. “Our latest cutting-edge developments are the result of deep investment in materials and technology innovation, an integral part of our identity, to better support those who protect us, every day.”

Under this new banner, Avon Protection reinforces its dedication to providing cutting-edge solutions that enhance and exceed the needs of its customers. The lab is at the centre of this commitment. Its material innovation scientists are dedicated to providing rubber and polymer research and development capabilities across various industry sectors, including defence, transport, and oil and gas. Their product and process development leverage these capabilities to guarantee the creation of new materials that meet the requirements for both product performance and processability.

Avon Protection’s lab is fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, enabling comprehensive rubber compound development, rigorous physical and mechanical testing, assessment of temperature and environmental effects, chemical analysis, defect investigations, and the characterisation of properties and in-rubber performance of novel filler materials and other ingredients. These advanced capabilities empower defence industry leaders to develop superior, sustainable materials for their critical applications.

“Our legacy of delivering more than 100 years of experience in rubber and other polymer materials to the world as Avon Protection signifies our deep-rooted dedication to innovation. It is ingrained in our DNA to think about our customers’ needs and innovate relentlessly to meet and exceed them with our mission-critical solutions,” said Martin Spencer, VP Engineering at Avon Protection.

The breadth of services delivered by the company’s talented team not only supports product development aspirations but also allows its customers to develop better materials for their product applications. This is provided with the quality, expertise and excellence the Avon Protection name is known for around the globe.

DRI Rubber as a Design Material

Ewan Scott
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DRI Rubber as a Design Material

DRI Rubber supported Dutch artist Eline van Dijkman, as part of her graduation project creating circular rubber furniture made from its upcycled and fibre-reinforced rubber materials

With her project, van Dijkman not only graduated from the Design Academy as Product Designer, but also received invitations for the popular design shows in Milan and Paris.

Van Dijkman’s graduation project; ‘Rubber, a design material’, proposes a series of circular furniture made from recycled rubber waste, that displays the material’s unique properties using sheet material. Van Dijkman created a total of 17 furniture pieces, (mainly for outdoor use) with the idea of using recycled rubber for everyday objects, such as chairs and lamps.

Working closely with DRI Rubber, van Dijkman explored the circular economy of rubber as an opportunity to create new and innovative products which fit into the world of design. Van Dijkman said; “The goal was to reuse materials and understand what I, as a product designer, can create with rubber.” 

When researching the graduation project, van Dijkman wanted to see what types of waste were suitable for the challenge. Van Dijkman says; “During the first month of my research, I gained interest in industrial waste. That is something we usually frown upon, but I believe it holds lots of potential. Eventually I came across rubber and got into contact with DRI Rubber. I was fascinated by the unique ‘waste-to-product’ process of the company, and luckily DRI showed interest in me and my project as well. I visited the company a couple of times and with the help of Robert and Marianne I learned more about the rubber recycling process and the types of upcycled and fibre-reinforced rubber material DRI produces.”

The material is very strong, as we can see every day from its use in tyres. If the fibre-reinforced material from DRI Rubber is considered, then that strength is much greater still. Van Dijkman thought; “Why not create something that can be used in our daily lives”. So that is how she came up with designing furniture.

In the end van Dijkman was able to create 17 rubber furniture pieces, such as chairs, tables, lamps and candle holders. They are extremely durable and weather-resistant and can be used both inside and outside the house. The furniture pieces are 100% made from the mats and other recycled rubber materials, enabling us to reduce waste in the process, just like DRI Rubber always does.”

Working with rubber for this project was a learning process for van Dijkman; ““I learned most about the properties of rubber and how versatile it can be as a material. I also didn’t realise that rubber is actually very easy to recycle; that should happen way more often. Some people in the design world might think that rubber, and especially rubber waste, isn’t a nice material to work with, but I completely disagree. It has lots of potential.”

Van Dijkman received a lot of interest in her project and although these were designed as statement pieces, it appears that there may actually be demand for rubber furniture. Van Dijkman adds; “I received invites for multiple design shows in Europe, including the very popular shows in Milan and Paris next year. Of course, I am very excited about what is to come, and I’m very thankful for the opportunity given by DRI Rubber. My graduation project only took 5 months, but in my opinion, it doesn’t have to end here. Hopefully, we can do more together.”

Bridgestone and Michelin Present Findings on RCB Joint White Paper

Ewan Scott
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Bridgestone and Michelin Present Findings on RCB Joint White Paper

Bridgestone and Michelin have presented a joint white paper on recovered carbon black

Bridgestone Corporation and Michelin Group have published a joint technical white paper to share the results of their work with stakeholders in the rCB community to develop a proposed global standard to increase the utilisation of recovered carbon black material in tyres.

In 2022, the two companies released a position paper focused on the joint initiative to increase the use of recovered carbon black. The position paper outlined the reasoning behind this important call to action and the goals that Bridgestone and Michelin plan to achieve through this collaboration. Bridgestone and Michelin collaborated with recovered carbon black (rCB) suppliers and other stakeholders in the value chain to define initial proposals for standards, including grades, specifications, and awareness of quality and performance requirements for the tire industry. The two companies have produced a set of definitions, proposed specifications, and guidelines for regulatory requirements, as well as a foundation for supporting the growth of the rCB industry.

Today, fewer than 1 per cent of all carbon black material used globally in new tyre production comes from recycled end-of-life tyres, due to a sub-optimal supply chain for the recovery and reuse of carbon black.

The use of rcb recovered from end-of-life tyres has the potential to reduce reliance on virgin carbon black, which is produced by burning fossil fuels. Additionally, using recovered carbon black in new tyre production can reduce CO2 emissions in new tyre production by up to 85% compared to virgin materials.

“No one company can deliver the supply chain advancements necessary to achieve our shared aim of a more sustainable and circular tire economy,” said Marco Musaio, Head of End-of-Life Tire & Circular Economy, Bridgestone Europe. “The use of recovered carbon black in tyres is a critical element of our efforts to achieve products that are made from 100 per cent sustainable materials by 2050.”

“The shift from a linear value chain to a circular one presents a crucial challenge necessitating a shift in mindset and increased adaptability. The partnership between Bridgestone and Michelin serves as a prime illustration of this transition, aimed at fostering the development of a novel value chain for reclaimed carbon black. The conversion of End-of-Life Tyres into cutting-edge materials that can be reused in our tires marks a significant initial stride towards achieving our goal of 40 per cent recycled and renewable sustainable materials by 2030”, said Fabien Gaboriaud, Senior Vice President of Sustainable Materials & Circularity, Michelin.   

BCA Designs Portable Tyre Shredder to Increase Productivity

Ewan Scott
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BCA Designs Portable Tyre Shredder to Increase Productivity

BCA, the Milwaukee-based equipment manufacturer, says its PD1000 IO X shredding system is designed for use in tandem with open-top live floor semi-trailers

BCA Industries states that its latest PD1000 IO X tyre shredder can overcome bottleneck involved in the loading and unloading of material before and after shredding.

“The challenge is that portable shredding systems have not been designed to take advantage of one of the recycling industry’s most labour-efficient types of containers: open-top walking floor semi-trailers, which simplify loading and unloading,” states the company.

“Traditional portable shredders cannot reach the height of an open-top walking floor semi-trailer, which is the standard in the recycling industry,” says John Neuens, an industrial consultant with BCA Industries.

“When loading scrap containers, typical portable shredder conveyors can only reach about 9 feet high at best, while semi-trailers can be up to 13 feet high,” adds Neuens. “As a result, US tyre recyclers have been limited to using roll-off trailers or dumpsters with these kinds of systems.”

“Now, recyclers can rapidly shred tyres and reach the heights needed to load open-top walking floor semi-trailers without moving any of the shredding equipment,” says Neuens.

The latest BCA Dual-shaft, low speed, high torque shear shredder can process car and truck tyres at around 4 – 5 tonnes per hour. With the addition of a sidewall remover, the system can also shred semi-trailer tyres.

The PD1000 IO X system consists of the PD1000 shredder along with a PD1000 IO conveyor, a unique “double-jointed” system that hydraulically “unfolds” to a height of 13 feet.

The company says the PD1000 IO X system is transportable with a one-ton pickup truck. The power unit is a completely self-contained diesel/hydraulic system that does not require additional electrical connections or a concrete slab for use, says BCA.

BCA says that while with some high-torque shredders, “the cost of repair and downtime can be excessive, particularly when waiting for an overseas supplier to refurbish or rebuild the cutting head. For this reason, some tire recyclers keep a full-time millwright or mechanic on staff.”

To help reduce downtime and maintenance costs, BCA says its PD1000 shredder “does away with the typical complex gearbox and instead utilises a double, heavy-duty chain drive.” An inexpensive “off-the-shelf” American-made hydraulic system uses dual motors that are readily available, adds BCA.

Neuens says that the whole assembly can be easily maintained, and the modusar head on the machine can be removed and replaced in just an hour.

The BCA Industries PD1000 IO X system consists of the PD1000 shredder along with a PD1000 IO conveyor.

Photo courtesy of BCA Industries and Power PR

Hankook Hosts the ‘Tire-to-Tire Circular Economy Model’ Consortium

Ewan Scott
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Hankook Hosts the ‘Tire-to-Tire Circular Economy Model’ Consortium

Hankook Tire & Technology (Hankook Tire) hosted the official kick-off meeting for the “Tire-to-Tire Circular Economy Model” consortium on November 1 in Daejeon, South Korea

Held at the Hankook Technodome, the event marked the start of the consortium’s efforts to create the business model for the circular economy of end-of-life tyres in Korea.

Initiated by Hankook Tire, the “Tire-to-Tire Circular Economy Model” project aims to promote a circular economy of end-of-life tyres in the industry sector by designing innovative upcycling processes for turning end-of-life tyres into new tyres. This project signifies industry commitment to meeting global demands for carbon neutrality and using more sustainable materials in the manufacturing process. Twelve companies and institutes including Hankook Tire, Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, LD Carbon, Korea Institute of Footwear & Leather Technology, HD Hyundai Oilbank, HD Hyundai Chemical, HD Hyundai OCI, SK Incheon Petrochem, SK Geo Centric, LG Chem, Kumho Petrochemical and OCI will collaborate on the project with the goal of improving the industry’s shift toward sustainability.

The group aims to bring together the expertise of its members to identify and produce sustainable materials such as recovered carbon black, which can be used in new tyre manufacturing.

The consortium aims to build a system to steer access to high-quality, sustainable raw materials. Additionally, the group intends to seek R&D support from government ministries and affiliated organisations to accelerate the development of standardised technologies and processes.

“It is an honour to host such a meaningful consortium. Our efforts to establishing this model for circular economy of end-of-life tyres, will play a vital role in strengthening a more sustainable value chain for the industry, helping replace conventional petrochemical-based raw materials with high-quality secondary raw material,” said Bonhee Ku, Chief Technology Officer of Hankook Tire & Technology.

This move in Korea follows the example set by Blackcycle in Europe and could see some key changes in how manufacturers appraise and adopt new recycling technologies.

Source:Business Korea

Artificial Turf Under Pressure in USA

Ewan Scott
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Artificial Turf Under Pressure in USA

Artificial turf faces objections from America’s top sportsmen in the NFL

Artificial turf is a solution that seems to address issues of waterlogged or sun-dried playing fields to allow all-weather games to be played. However, the technology has faced opposition from players and environmentalists from the outset.

For a while, it looked like the artificial turf war was over, and it had been accepted as the norm for top-level sports. However, top football (soccer) players have refused to play on artificial turf in the USA, requiring temporary grass fields to be installed for high profile games.

Now, National Football League (NFL) players are demanding that artificial turf fields be replaced.

NFL player Aaron Rodgers came away from a recent game with a torn Achilles tendon. The cause is believed to be the result of playing on an artificial turf field. Now, the players union is urging the NFL to replace artificial turf with natural grass.

NFLPA President JC Tretter

According to the NFL Players Association President JC Tretter, in 10/11 of the last regular seasons, players received more injuries when playing on articicial turf.

The NFL claims that there is no issue with artificial turf and is resistant to revert to grass. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodall says the issue is “complex.”

It is claimed that reverting to grass would cost around $850,000 per field, and there are 15 NFL fields – however, the NFLPA says that this is a drop in the ocean compared to the £12 billion in revenue for the NFL last season.

Two NFL teams have retractable grass playing fields; the Arizona Cardinals and the Las Vegas Raiders.

This pressure at the very top of US sports can only add to environmental and health concerns where groups have lobbied against artificial turf for many years. The US Environmental Protection Agency and the European Union havr, in the past, claimed to monitor each other’s actions on crumb rubber. If this still holds true, the pressure on the US crumb rubber market will slowly be mounting.

Yet hardly a day goes past without news of another US school installing an artificial turf field. Any reversion to grass will have wide-ranging and expensive costs for all installations.

Pyrum Heads Towards Operation of all Three Lines

Ewan Scott
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Pyrum Heads Towards Operation of all Three Lines

Pyrum Innovations has been developing its pyrolysis technology at Dillingen and is now preparing its 2nd and 3rd lines for production

Pyrum has announced the successful start of the warm commissioning of reactors 2 and 3 at its main plant in Dillingen/Saar. This means that the first oil will soon be produced from the new lines. The approval authorities have already given the green light for the start of production.

This stage of the Pyrum journey has been under way for the past two years and will see the state of the art proprietary pyrolysis process triple its output.

In the last few weeks, the cold commissioning was completed, all parts calibrated and tested. The automatic operation has already been tested for several weeks, and the training of the staff has been completed.

The plant is filled with all media, the leak test has been carried out and it is ready for production. As soon as the production has started, the throughput of the first new line will be successively ramped up to 75 per cent. Then all the experience gained from line 2 is transferred to line 3 and line 3 is also ramped up to 75 per cent throughput as quickly as possible. After that, both lines together are gradually ramped up to 100 per cent. The entire process up to full capacity utilisation will be carried out as quickly as possible, but may take several months.

Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG said; “We are very happy to start production in our two new lines soon. Everything went extremely well during the cold commissioning, which has already been completed, and the hot commissioning has already started. We are now on the last stages of our site expansion in Dillingen, tripling our capacity to 20,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres per year. In parallel, our work on six other sites is progressing rapidly.”

In addition, the ESG rating agency EcoVadis again awarded Pyrum Innovations AG silver status in its annual recertification, confirming the sustainability of the Pyrum business model.

Episode 55 of The Tyre Recycling Podcast is out

David Wilson
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Episode 55 of The Tyre Recycling Podcast is out

On Episode 55, we interview Dr. Mehran Zarrebini, CEO of The Mathe Group, who will be providing his insights on the current situation of sustainable manufacturing and the crumb rubber market in South Africa. In the interview, he will discuss some key issues, such as the logistical problems in South Africa, the international regulations, and the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on prices.

Watch the full interview with Dr. Mehran Zarrebini

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Episode 55 of The Tyre Recycling Podcast
00:58 Dr. Zarrebini explains the history of Mathe Group
03:38 Dr. Zarrebini explains Mathe Group’s current operations
06:11 Prospects for the crumb rubber market in South Africa
07:47 Regulations regarding rubberised asphalt
10:10 Projects to be developed at Mathe Group with the funding they received
13:40 Challenges of the collection of tyres in South Africa
16:46 How is South Africa dealing with car tyres
17:46 Managing mining tyres: issues and difficulties
19:20 New technologies applied to used crumb rubber
22:01 The cost of energy and it’s impact on the recycling industry
23:21 The challenges of South Africa’s geographical location, especially when exporting
24:54 EPR Compliance and legislation in South Africa
28:49 How to attract international investment in South Africa
30:52 Conclusions

Sumitomo Rubber Introduces Rubberway

Ewan Scott
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Sumitomo Rubber Introduces Rubberway

Sustainability has always been more than a mere phrase for Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) as it opts to use Rubberway

In an ongoing move towards more sustainable sourcing practices, the company has introduced the environmental and social risk assessment tool, Rubberway.

The global demand for natural rubber has necessitated a responsible approach to the procurement of its raw materials. With concerns such as deforestation stemming from farm expansion, as well as labour and human rights issues, SRI recognises the urgency of proactively addressing these challenges.

Taking a lead in sustainable natural rubber sourcing is Sumitomo Rubber Singapore Pte. Ltd. By introducing Rubberway, SRI hopes the technology will revolutionise the way it sources natural rubber – strengthening its commitment to sustainable practices by flagging risks for mitigation, at each level of the upstream supply chain. It also allows SRI to ensure it is procuring from areas compliant with GPSNR (Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber) standards.

Rubberway works by leveraging statistical analysis from a wealth of data – gathered via questionnaires from each level of the supply chain, such as processing factories, intermediaries, smallholders and large plantations. The results are then used to evaluate the environmental and social implications associated with natural rubber production. The assessment covers – but is not limited to – deforestation, water resource management, forced labour and child labour in 10 natural rubber-producing countries.

Furthermore, the tool aligns with SRI’s long-term sustainability policy, ‘Driving Our Future Challenge 2050’, which seeks to enhance traceability and support smallholders during the purchase of raw materials, in accordance with the Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy.

This commitment is further exemplified by ongoing initiatives within SRI which emphasise collaboration amongst all stakeholders – including those within the supply chain – with a vision of fostering a sustainable natural rubber community.

Zeppelin Contracted to Expand ReOil Plant

Ewan Scott
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0
Zeppelin Contracted to Expand ReOil Plant

Zeppelin Systems and ReOil are to build a first-class tyre recycling plant in Poland

Zeppelin Systems has been a reliable plant engineering partner for the rubber and tyre industry for decades. On the path to a sustainable future for plant engineering, the company launched the Zeppelin Sustainable Tire Alliance in March 2023 to cooperate with international partners on shaping the future of tyre production and tyre recycling in a more environmentally friendly manner. One of the members of this technology alliance is the Polish company ReOil, which built Europe’s largest pyrolysis plant for the recycling of old tyres in 2015. Since then, ReOil has recycled around 20,000 tons of old tires annually. Zeppelin Systems was awarded the engineering contract for the construction of a second ReOil pyrolysis plant. Construction is scheduled to start in February 2024. After the completion of the gigantic plant, around 60,000 tons of old tyres are to be returned to the sustainable circular economy every year.

ReOil, said to be Europe’s largest pyrolysis plant operator, works in the field of raw material recycling. The company uses continuous pyrolysis to break down rubber from old tyres into gas, oil and recovered Carbon Black (rCB).

ReOil’s proposed new plant in Poland to be built by Zeppelin Systems

The recycled materials obtained are reused, for example, in the manufacture of textiles, new tyres, rubber components, plastics, steel or aviation fuel.

After commissioning in 2015 and initial test runs, ReOil has recycled around 70,000 tons of old tyres since 2020 to date. Since 2020, the plant has been operating in a process-stable and profitable manner.

With the construction of the new pyrolysis plant, the company has tripled its annual recycling capacity to around 60,000 tons per year. A first-class plant covering an area of around 27 acres, brought to life by technology and engineering solutions from Zeppelin Systems. 

Zeppelin Systems had previously supplied the basic engineering for the new plant in 2019, and the company has now been rewarded with the completion contract due to the high level of customer satisfaction.

As the main responsible engineering partner, Zeppelin Systems delivers turnkey solutions all from one source: from plant technology to process engineering and final plant planning. “A flagship project for Zeppelin Systems with a signalling effect. Only a few companies can implement such complex and extensive projects virtually anywhere in the world,” says Dr. Markus Vöge, CEO of Zeppelin Systems GmbH, adding; “The aim is to offer process solutions in the future that can be provided as part of license models. For example, theELT pyrolysis plant as a turnkey product from Zeppelin Systems.”

Guido Veit, Vice President Sales, Plastic and Rubber at Zeppelin Systems GmbH, adds; “ReOil’s engineering contract is the first project as part of the Zeppelin Sustainable Tire Alliance. This makes us proud and demonstrates the strength of the alliance. In addition, we will continue to work hard to bring additional processes to technological maturity and strengthen the network in terms of the circular economy.”

ReOil Managing Director Paweł Mikuśkiewicz is also delighted with the very successful partnership between Zeppelin Systems and ReOil; “We knew that this major project could only be planned and built with the help of an experienced and internationally active plant engineering partner. That is why we chose Zeppelin Systems, and we really appreciate our long-standing, trusting business relationship.”

 

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