Bridgestone EMEA, Grupo BB&G and Versalis announced a partnership to establish a closed-loop ecosystem for recycling end-of-life tyres. The collaboration aims to develop a scalable and sustainable supply chain for transforming used tyres into new tyres.

According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) ’s Tire Industry Project, approximately one billion tyres reach the end of their useful life each year. The partnership seeks to address this issue by providing innovative and environmentally responsible solutions for the synthetic rubber business.

The three companies will collaborate to develop pyrolysis technology and tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO) to create high-quality elastomers comparable to those obtained from traditional feedstock. BB&G’s TPO unit in Fatima, Portugal, has been successfully operating since 15 July 2024. Versalis will integrate BB&G’s TPO into its supply chain to manufacture circular elastomers that Bridgestone will use to create the first batch of tyres in early 2025.

This partnership will contribute to achieving the environmental goals of all three companies. By transforming end-of-life tyres into new ones, the collaboration will help reduce waste and promote a more circular economy.

Laurent Dartoux, Group President Bridgestone EMEA and Global Sustainability Initiative Lead Bridgestone Corporation, explains: “At Bridgestone, we have set a goal of working with 100 percent sustainable materials by 2050, and recycling and reusing products is an important part of this. The partnership with industry leaders Grupo BB&G and Versalis to research, implement and overcome the challenge of recycling tyres will contribute towards this target. The collaboration also supports Bridgestone’s corporate E8 commitment, along with our global EVERTIRE initiative, which focuses on co-creating new and environmentally responsible ways to maximise the complete lifecycle of our tyres.”

Adriano Alfani, CEO of Versalis (Eni), commented: “In line with our strategy for circularity, we have developed lower-carbon solutions that perfectly fit in the value chain we’ve established with our industry partners Bridgestone EMEA and Grupo BB&G. This agreement aims to deliver maximum value to our customers and an innovative boost to the tyre industry, furthering our commitment to more sustainable mobility.

Germano Carreira, CEO of BB&G, concluded: “This strategic partnership with industry leaders Bridgestone and Versalis is a huge step towards achieving our visionary goal of accelerating tyre recycling worldwide. It confirms the value of our patented technology and acknowledges the persistence that has brought us to this crucial point, enabling us to expand our technology across different regions. This collaboration is not just about advancing our products; it is a joint effort to increase circularity in the industry, aligning with global sustainability goals.”

Orion Engineered Carbons, a specialty chemical company, started commercial sales in Italy from the first new reactor for carbon black production to be commissioned in the European Union in over 40 years. 

The new 25-kiloton line at the facility in Ravenna, in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, produces both specialty and technical rubber carbon blacks, primarily for the European market, the company said in a release. 

Corning Painter, CEO, Orion, said, “The new line offers customers seeking long-term solutions a unique strategic opportunity to align with a dependable plant that has been operating for more than 60 years in Europe.” 

Additional investments at the plant include a new co-generation facility to convert waste heat into electricity, generating up to 120 MWh of electricity per year. Seventy percent of the electricity is supplied to the national grid, serving about 30,000 households. Orion is a net exporter of electricity in Europe and worldwide. (TT)  

Shin-Etsu Chemical, a leading chemical company, plans to invest $702 million in its silicone portfolio, a key component of its functional materials business segment.

This latest investment follows a plan announced in February 2022, worth $562 million, to meet the surging demand for advanced functional silicone products. However, due to the continuous growth in need, especially for eco-friendly options that align with the global goal of carbon neutrality, the company has decided to expand the applications of its silicone products. The company will also focus on enhancing the advanced functionality of its product lineup and further developing environmentally friendly silicones.

In alignment with its newly announced silicones investment plan, Shin-Etsu Chemical will make investments not only in its central production hub in Japan, the Gunma Complex in Gunma Prefecture, but also in its Naoetsu Plant in Niigata Prefecture, Takefu Plant in Fukui Prefecture, and the Group company plant in Thailand, where silicone monomer and polymer production is conducted. The company will also invest further in existing silicone plants across other Asian countries, the United States, and Hungary. Simultaneously, Shin-Etsu Chemical will accelerate efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by embracing greener manufacturing processes.

Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.

Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.

Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.

Each year, over 1.5 billion tyres are sold worldwide, representing more than 26 million metric tonnes, and just as many tyres each year also fall into the category of end-of-life tyres providing a large and partially untapped potential for resource and material recovery. Today, most traditional ELT treatment processes are not circular and do not result in any production of raw materials that are suitable to be reused in the tyre manufacturing industry. Without such ELT solutions in the EU, more than half of the EU end-of-life tyres and secondhand tyres are landfilled or are exported as tyre derived fuels for use into furnaces as an industrial fuel. The PHS project intends to reverse these trends and create a vibrant addition to advancements being made in the tyre recycling sector, the release said.

The PHS project is co-owned by Karabas European Hellenic Recycling. Currently, KEHR collects and recycles all types of scrap vehicle tyres and recycles them through traditional methods by shredding tyres into rubber granules, rubber powder & shock-absorbent surfacing slabs.

PHS has partnered with Klean Industries to build a modern tyre recycling facility that encompasses a state-of-the-art scrap tyre pyrolysis plant to recycle 20,000 TPA of waste tyres into valuable chemical products.

PHS proposes to construct and operate the Waste Tyre Pyrolysis Plant in Moulkia, a seaside town near Skala, Greece. It is located at an existing industrial site that is owned by KEHR, the release added. (TT)

ResiCare, an adhesive manufacturing subsidiary of Michelin, has found commercial use in Allin's plywood manufacturing unit, R'PLY. Allin and Michelin have been in collaboration since 2018.

The company claims that R'Ply is the first responsible plywood made using certified Poplar wood and integrating a ResiCare resin that is kinder to human health as well as the environment. The R’Ply is a high-performance plywood which can be used for multiple applications, according to the company. The plywood can be used for boat-building or in the building trade and will be available at certain DIY stores soon.

Michelin had set up a mobile ResiCare production unit at its Olsztyn site in May 2021. The company hopes to replace more than 80 percent of the usual adhesive used in its tyre textile reinforcement with the new ResiCare adhesive, which is free from any substances of very high concern for health (SVHC), by 2025. The company further plans to set up mobile production units similar to the one in Europe and Asia in the coming months. (TT)