Circtec is building the world's largest chemical recycling plant for car tyres in Groningen. The company expects the new plant to be functional by the end of the summer.

The company already has plants in Poland and Germany where it recycles tyres on a smaller scale. The plant in Groningen will be the first large-scale facility with a capacity to process about 20 million (200,000 tonnes) waste tyres annually, which is six percent of all waste tyres in Europe each year.

The tyres are chemically deconstructed at high temperatures and broken down into tiny molecules that evaporate and mostly condense again as part of a process developed by Circtec to recycle car tyres. Following recycling, the different compounds found in tyres may be utilised as raw materials to make sustainable biofuel and new car tyres. The firm produces Naphtha from a portion of the rubber used in car tyres. This material has the potential to be utilised as a raw material for the manufacturing of plastic and synthetic rubber. Another portion of the rubber is used to make HUPA, a cutting-edge ship biofuel. Additionally, after recycling, the carbon may be used again.

According to Pieter ter Haar, Director – Sustainable Carbonaceous Materials, Circtec, some 3.5 million car tyres end up in Europe's waste every year and much of it is burned for cement production. In addition, many European tyres are shipped to India, so that the tyres can be burned and processed there without regard to the environment, public health or CO2 emissions. "We have a responsibility to make new raw materials and valuable products from our own waste products and not to pollute other parts of the world with our waste and its unregulated incineration," he said.

"We handle the recycling of tyres from the moment they come off a car to the production of the various new chemical products. That makes us unique from our competitors," Ter Haar said.

Asserting his determination to make an impact by making the chemical industry more sustainable, Ter Haar said, "With the new plant, we are contributing to both the energy and materials transition. The plant will offset about three percent of the Dutch chemical industry'sCO2 emissions."

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Scandinavian Enviro Systems AB publ has signed a letter of intent with an undisclosed partner to explore the possibility of licensing its advanced tyre pyrolysis technology for deployment in North America.

The collaboration will focus on conducting a comprehensive feasibility study to evaluate the technical and commercial viability of establishing one or multiple facilities dedicated to processing end-of-life tyres using Enviro’s proprietary method. This study is designed to provide the potential licensee with the necessary insights to assess the prospects of entering into a long-term commercial arrangement and formal technology licensing agreement.

It is important to note that any definitive agreements will depend entirely on the study's outcomes and subsequent negotiations. At this stage, there is no guarantee that the evaluation will lead to binding commitments or that the proposed transaction will ultimately materialise.

Fredrik Aaben, CEO, Scandinavian Enviro Systems, said, “We continue to see strong international interest in Enviro’s technology, and this letter of intent is yet another proof of this.”

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Kraton Corporation, a leading global producer of speciality polymers and high-value bio-based chemicals derived from pine wood pulping co-products, a global price increase for all polymer products with effect from 1 April 2026. The price hike will range from USD 440 per MT to USD 700 per MT, or as individual contract terms permit, with the exact price change varying according to the polymer type and production location.

The driving forces behind these significant pricing actions are multifaceted, rooted in substantial disruptions to global supply chains. These disruptions are largely attributed to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has had a cascading effect on logistics. Compounding this issue are the sharply rising costs associated with transportation and essential raw materials.

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German specialty chemicals company LANXESS has announced a global price increase for its portfolio of functional additives for the manufacture of tyres and speciality rubbers. These changes, which are set to take effect immediately or as soon as individual contract terms permit, will see prices rise by 15 to 50 percent.

The driving forces behind these significant pricing actions are multifaceted, rooted in substantial disruptions to global supply chains. These disruptions are largely attributed to the ongoing geopolitical conflict, which has had a cascading effect on logistics. Compounding this issue are the sharply rising costs associated with transportation and essential raw materials.

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Orion S.A., a global speciality chemicals company, has announced a global price increase for its portfolio of speciality carbon black. These changes, which are set to take effect immediately or as soon as individual contract terms permit, will see prices rise by up to 25 percent.

In a strategic move to address persistent market volatility, the company is also implementing a variable surcharge on top of the base price increase. The driving forces behind these significant pricing actions are multifaceted, rooted in substantial disruptions to global supply chains. These disruptions are largely attributed to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has had a cascading effect on logistics. Compounding this issue are the sharply rising costs associated with transportation and essential raw materials.

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