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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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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.”

 

Entyr Receives Australian Award

Ewan Scott
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Entyr Receives Australian Award

Environmental technology company, Entyr Limited, received the Innovation Award for its world-leading thermal conversion process for end-of-life tyres at the national Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards held in Melbourne on the 25th October

Over the past two years, Australian-based Entyr Ltd has been transitioning its internationally patented thermal conversion process from research and development to full commercialisation, creating high-quality tyre-derived products which are changing the future of the environment, waste tyre disposal, and road safety.

“As a pioneering Australian company, receiving this recognition from our industry peers means so very much.  To know that our commitment to solving the global waste tyre problem is acknowledged and that the industry backs a complete circular solution, strengthens our resolve to achieve full commercialisation and take our technology to the world,” said Entyr Ltd Co-founder, Mr Andrew Drennan accepting the award on behalf of the company.

Entyr Limited was awarded the Innovation Award for its low-emissions thermal baking conversion process for end-of-life tyres. The process avoids the burning of toxic waste and is controlled within an atmospherically sealed vessel with no chemical intervention.  Repurposing almost 100 per cent of an end-of-life tyre, the innovative processing transforms tyres into commercially valuable products of recovered carbon black, tyre derived fuel oil, steel and gas, replacing the need for virgin resources in manufacturing, primarily tested and used in asphalt mixes.

“I would like to thank all the sponsors of the awards, particularly Veolia, who sponsored this Innovation Award.  I would also like to thank the Inside Waste and Waste Management Review teams who consistently support the waste and recycling industry as we move towards complete circular solutions for waste,” said Drennan.

The TRAC Rubber Recycling Symposium 2023

Ewan Scott
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The TRAC Rubber Recycling Symposium 2023

After a break caused by the pandemic, the TRAC Rubber Recycling Symposium returned to its biennial cycle with a conference held in Nova Scotia this October

The Rubber Recycling Symposium was opened by the President and CEO of TRAC, Carol Hochu, who highlighted that everyone attending is on a journey to sustainability. The focus of this year’s event was then about sustainability as much as simply recycling.

The event was hosted by Divert NS (Nova Scotia). Stacy Breau, CEO of Divert NS, spoke about the success of the stewardship scheme in Nova Scotia, with a recovery rate of 88.5 per cent. Much of the recovered material is used as aggregate in road construction and engineering projects, with the balance going into tyre-derived fuel. Breau said that Divert NS aimed to transition from recycling to a refusal to waste materials.

Stewardship and Extended Producer Responsibility were a focus on the first day. The initial panel focused on the Canadian solutions, each province having a stewardship scheme tuned to its geographical needs – what works in Ontario is not the same as might be required in Saskatchewan or The Yukon. This was followed by presentations from three very different approaches to tyre management – Fredrick Ardefors spoke about the Swedish model, where SDAB has complete control of the market. Lina Goodman highlighted the challenges in Australia, where there is a voluntary stewardship scheme, and John Sheerin discussed the USA, where there is a free market.

The panel being introduced for the Global EPR discussion -l-r Lina Goodman, John Sheerin, Fredrick Ardefors and Carol Hochu

Of course, in these dynamic times, legislation had to be discussed; the two key topics here were the issues around replacing 6PPD, which has been proven to be harmful to the environment, and the European ban on crumb rubber infill – Speakers here were Jamie McNutt from the USTMA and Alex Van Gelgeren from the ETRMA.

There followed talks about sustainability in tyre manufacturing and market development opportunities for ELT – this latter topic being a perennial one that arises at every rubber recycling event – how do we increase demand for recycled rubber products?

The event closed with its now familiar CEO Panel, where CRM’s Barry Takalou, Emterra’s Emmie Leung and Pliteq’s Paul Downey gave their perspective on the markets, opportunities and challenges that the industry faces. They looked at how obstacles could be removed, and the industry could become part of the Circular Economy solution.

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