Klean Industries Inc announced that it has partnered with City Circle Group (CCG) to build a fully integrated, continuous tyre pyrolysis plant to recover carbon black and biofuel in Melbourne, Australia. Klean Industries provides technologies and solutions for resource recovery, waste recycling and the production of clean energy from waste. As for City Circle Group, it is a provider in demolition, decommissioning, remediation, excavation and recycling in Australia.

It is known that Australia has a waste problem with disposal fees that are continuing to rise. Klean further claims that end-of-life tyres and end-of-life plastics are piling up and being dumped in landfills all over the country. Through their partnership, Klean and CCG aim to solve this environmental crisis by putting their combined skillsets together to create meaningful change that will help Australia develop a low-carbon, circular economy while reinforcing the goal of zero waste to landfill. According to Klean, both parties see significant opportunities for creating hundreds of new and highly skilled cleantech jobs with enough project opportunities in Australia to invest billions of dollars into the Australian economy over the next decade.

Sharing his views on the partnership, Matt Skidmore, CEO, City Circle Group, said, “It is with great excitement that we announce this project and partnership with Klean Industries. The concept of waste-to-commodity recycling is something that fits within our vision to become a truly circular economy business that provides real and positive outcomes to our communities.”

Adding to this, Jesse Klinkhamer, CEO, Klean Industries, commented, “We are thrilled to be taking resource recovery to a whole new level in Australia. With CCG as our partner, we are going to define a new era in what it means to develop clean industries. Our industry partnerships speak to our credibility, and it is these relationships that support and enable our team to build world-class facilities that set the global standard in Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) but will also enhance Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to a level not seen before in Australia.”

Klean states that the two have been engaged in the final analysis of a Detailed Feasibility Study (DFS) to design and build a fully integrated tyre pyrolysis plant. The result thus far has illustrated a significant opportunity. As per Klean, the parties are now in the final phases of contract negotiations with feedstock providers and offtake parties for all the project output products which are being pre-sold. Klean claims that the parties plan to complete the DFS by the end of December 2022 and anticipate the project being financed before the end of the first quarter of 2023, with construction taking place in 2023 and operations starting in 2024.

A project site is already secured and planning permission and permitting are underway. According to Klean, the project is centrally located 45 kilometres northwest of Melbourne, Victoria. It has access to a highly skilled workforce. Given the ease of establishing and conducting business in Melbourne, Klean states that the decision to locate a tyre carbonisation facility is compelling and logical. This offers numerous short-term and long-term benefits to the area.

As per Klean, the Melbourne project includes Klean’s commercial scale, environmental-friendly scrap tyre carbonisation technology with a planned initial capacity of up to 120 metric tonnes per day (TPD). This is approximately 12,000 tyres per day and equates to approximately 40,000 metric tonnes per annum (TPA). Klean claims that the project is designed to convert the waste tyres into highly valuable recovered carbon black (rCB) and recovered fuel oil (rFO). This plant will be fully integrated with Klean’s proprietary tyre char upgrading technologies that enable the transformation of low-value tyre char into high-value carbon black replacements which can replace Virgin Carbon Black (vCB) by volumes of 10 percent up to 100 percent, depending on the specific application.

The CCG plant will also include recovered fuel oil upgrading technologies for the conversion of the recovered pyrolysis oil. The CCG facility will be ISO 9001, 14001 certified and all products will also be ISCC certified as circular raw materials, according to Klean. 

The resulting products from the Melbourne project will then re-enter the virgin raw material supply chain through the local marine fuel market, new tyre, rubber compounding and virgin carbon black manufacturing industries. Klean states that this enables these industries to create product circularity by re-integrating recovered resources back into the marketplace, enabling them to improve environmental performance and lower raw material product costs while also offsetting emissions associated with their respective industries.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Pirelli has developed a new rear tyre solution for the fifth FIM Superbike World Championship round at the Czech Republic’s Most circuit. The track is known for unusually high mechanical strain on rubber, particularly at the rear axle. To address this, Pirelli created the F0468 medium compound rear specification. Its compound matches the D0922, a tyre used at Most in 2025 and at Phillip Island across the previous two seasons. However, the F0468 features an entirely new internal structure for better race-long consistency and improved stability.

This newcomer evolves the E0829 specification, which shared the same compound and appeared at Phillip Island earlier this year. Riders who dislike the F0468 can still choose the D0922 development rear tyre. That option has already proven itself at the unique Czech layout and at Phillip Island, another tyre‑killing circuit. For qualifying and the Superpole Race, Pirelli has designated the standard soft SC0 as the reference rear tyre.

Beyond the premier class, Supersport and SportBike World Championship competitors will also race at Most. Supersport riders receive the same front choices as Superbike: soft SC1 and medium SC2. At the rear, Supersport entries can pick the soft SC0 or the medium SC1. SportBike competitors have used that same medium SC1 on both axles all season.

The tyre lineup thus gives every category familiar options alongside the new F0468. By blending a proven compound with a revised structure, Pirelli targets greater performance consistency without forcing riders to abandon the trusted D0922. Most’s punishing layout will serve as the ultimate test for both solutions.

Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Motorcycle Racing Director, said, “Over more than two decades as supplier to the Superbike World Championship, Pirelli has built an extremely solid and versatile tyre range. The SCX supersoft rear solution now represents an absolute benchmark for riders and is used in most races on the calendar, with the soft SC0 becoming a valid alternative on some occasions. There are, however, some circuits that are particularly demanding on tyres, such as Phillip Island and Most, which by virtue of their layout and intrinsic characteristics require more specific solutions and more durable compounds, typically medium options.

“In these cases, development work focuses on improving key parameters such as performance and consistency over race distance: objectives that guided the design of the new rear solution in F0468 specification. To complete the allocation, riders will in any case also have the well-proven D0922 option available, which has shown that it can effectively handle the particular stresses imposed by this circuit. It will be interesting to assess whether the new F0468 medium will be able to raise the performance level beyond that of the D0922 further still.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Linglong Tire Vice President Feng Baochun represented the Chinese tyre industry at the Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development High-Level Forum 2026, held in Beijing in April. He addressed the session titled ‘New Stage, New Drivers, New Ecosystem – Market and Consumption’, sharing the latest insights into tyre market developments.

During his presentation, ‘Reinventing Product Values, Strengthening a New Smart Mobility Ecosystem’, he explained that profound changes in the automotive sector – driven by artificial intelligence, shifting environmental factors and globalisation – are redefining the role of the tyre. He stated that tyres are evolving from traditional safety components into critical parts that significantly influence overall vehicle performance.

To meet these demands, Linglong is actively building innovation drivers in global research, development and marketing, aiming to become a product and service provider for intelligent mobility rather than remaining a classic tyre manufacturer. The company currently focuses on optimising rolling resistance. Through new sustainable materials and advanced compound technologies, Linglong has achieved a balance between energy efficiency and performance.

This balance is an indispensable requirement for major national and international automotive manufacturers. Linglong continuously researches, develops and tests with these partners to meet strict original equipment tire standards, reinforcing its commitment to the new smart mobility ecosystem.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Balkrishna Industries Ltd (BKT) has unveiled an ambitious expansion and investment roadmap aimed at more than doubling its revenue to around INR 230 billion by FY30, backed by a cumulative capital expenditure of INR 68 billion.

The company said the investment programme would strengthen its leadership in the off-highway tyre (OHT) segment, expand carbon black capacity and accelerate its entry into India’s on-highway tyre market. The strategy forms part of BKT’s long-term plan to achieve an estimated 8 percent global market share in the OHT segment by FY30.

BKT has already announced INR 13 billion of capex for OHT tyres in August 2024 and an additional INR 35 billion investment in May 2025 for on-highway tyres, rubber tracks, carbon black and power plant expansion. The board has further approved INR 20 billion in additional capex to support capacity expansion, infrastructure development, AI-enabled automation and sustainability initiatives.

As part of the OHT expansion strategy, BKT said ongoing debottlenecking and capacity enhancement initiatives would raise OHT tyre capacity to 425,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA). The company is also expanding its dedicated rubber tracks manufacturing facility while strengthening its mining tyre portfolio.

In the carbon black business, the company is scaling up production to improve raw material integration and energy efficiency. BKT said Phase 1 capacity has already been increased to 265,000 MTPA along with a 24 MW cogeneration power plant, taking total cogeneration capacity at Bhuj to 64 MW. Phase 2 expansion, which will raise carbon black capacity to 360,000 MTPA, is expected to become operational in Q1 FY27.

The company is simultaneously building its on-highway tyre business in India through a modular approach focused initially on premium passenger car radial tyres and commercial vehicle radial tyres. Commercial vehicle radial tyres were pilot launched in Q4 FY26, while passenger car radial tyres are scheduled for pilot launch in Q3 FY27.

For FY26, BKT reported standalone revenue of INR 106.56 billion, while net profit stood at INR 12.22 billion. OHT sales volumes rose 1 percent year-on-year to 317,356 MT.

The company said the expansion programme is expected to enhance profitability through stronger operational integration, scalable infrastructure and an expanded product portfolio, with blended EBITDA margins projected in the 23–25 per cent range after full commercialisation of the new capacities.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Continental has unveiled plans to build a highly automated finished-goods warehouse in Mount Vernon, Illinois, representing an investment of roughly USD 76 million. The new facility, which will cover an area larger than six American football fields and hold approximately 500,000 passenger car tyres, aims to address growing demand across North America while improving service levels and customer support. Construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2026, with operations expected to launch the following year.

The Mount Vernon location already holds the distinction of being Continental’s largest tyre production facility in United States and serves as a linchpin for its supply network throughout the Americas. Tyre manufacturing has been a constant at this site for over 50 years, dating back to its 1974 opening; Continental took ownership in 1987. Today, the vast campus – measuring more than 320,000 square metres – produces tyres for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles, churning out roughly 11.4 million units annually while employing over 3,500 people.

Continental continues to advance digitalisation and automation across its global manufacturing operations, which include 19 tyre plants in 16 countries. The company is prioritising new technologies, alternative materials, environmentally friendly production methods and ongoing improvements in logistics efficiency.

Tansu Işık, CEO, Continental Tires Americas, said, “Our new highly automated finished-goods warehouse underscores our growth ambitions in North America. The new facility will enhance our ability to serve customers with greater speed and flexibility while strengthening our overall distribution network in the region.”

Nik Pearce, Plant Manager of Continental’s Mount Vernon tyre plant, said, “This investment is a strong signal for the future of our Mount Vernon plant. It enhances our capabilities, further modernises our operations and makes our plant logistics more efficient. At the same time, it strengthens our operations at local level and creates new development opportunities for our employees.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!