oleocene.org

New tyre recycling hub for Belgium

Kirstin Linnenkoper – March 19, 2025

German recycler Pyrum Innovations is constructing a tyre recycling plant in Antwerp, Belgium in partnership with Dutch player VTTI.

The thermolysis facility will have an annual processing capacity of up to 90 000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres. The goal will be reached in two phases, each of 45 000 tonnes. Once completed in 2026, it will be Pyrum’s largest tyre recycling operation.

Industrial melting pot

Pyrum will act as the development partner, providing its proprietary and patented thermolysis technology.

VTTI will hold full ownership of the plant, which will be located next to its existing site at the Port of Antwerp. The area is a ‘key industrial hub’ and home to the largest integrated chemical cluster in Europe.

Side streams

The thermolysis process will transform waste tyres into valuable by-products, including tyre pyrolysis oil and recovered carbon black. By leveraging its existing infrastructure and expertise, VTTI hopes to accelerate the circular economy while enhancing the sustainability of industrial side streams.

VTTI ceo Guy Moeyens says the company aims to achieve 50% of its earnings from ‘green’ energy. He describes the new hub as a ‘key milestone’ in diversifying its portfolio. The company plans to develop similar plants at other sites across the globe.

Antwerp facility to recycle four million tyres with EU funding

Business news, Martijn Reintjes – November 5, 2024

A subsidiary of US-based Bolder Industries is set to recycle over four million end-of-life tyres each year at a planned facility in Antwerp, Belgium.
The project is supported by a EUR 32 million grant from the European Commission’s EU Innovation Fund pilot programme, with an additional EU 2 million from the Flanders region.

Expected to be operational by 2027, the new facility is designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% compared to traditional virgin carbon black production, the company claims.

Modelled on Bolder’s Missouri plant, the Antwerp location will feature four reactors and a modern finishing line and will harness wind energy and on-site heat for its power needs. This aims to address growing demand for eco-friendly alternatives, producing materials such as BolderBlack and BolderOil.

Second life as wetsuit

BolderBlack is used in more than 3 000 products including tyres, wetsuits, and automotive parts, and offers ‘a sustainable replacement’ for traditional carbon black. BolderOil is a component in renewable fuels and various industrial applications.

The expansion will not only increase the availability of these materials but also serves as a template for sustainable manufacturing practices in Europe, the company says.

More to come

‘This is more than a grant, it’s an investment in the future of sustainable manufacturing,’ comments Bolder Industries’ ceo Tony Wibbeler.

Construction on the Antwerp facility will begin in 2026, with full-scale production anticipated the following year, laying the groundwork for Bolder’s European growth strategy.

Michelin: construit une usine de recyclage de pneus en Suède

CERCLE FINANCE•23/02/2024

Michelin annonce la construction de 'la première usine de recyclage de pneus en fin de vie en Suède', en collaboration avec Antin - actionnaire majoritaire de la coentreprise- et Enviro - qui dispose d'une option pour en devenir un 'actionnaire minoritaire important'.

Situé à Uddevalla, le projet s'appuie sur la technologie unique de pyrolyse d'Enviro, qui permet d'extraire des matières premières à partir de produits composites.

Cette première usine aura une capacité de recyclage d'environ 35.000 tonnes de pneus en fin de vie par an et créera jusqu'à 40 emplois dans la communauté locale.

Michelin fait savoir que la coentreprise a d'ores et déjà obtenu une série de contrats pluriannuels concernant la fourniture de pneus en fin de vie, de noir de carbone et d'huile de pyrolyse issus du recyclage.

La construction du site a déjà été lancée et l'usine devrait être opérationnelle en 2025.