Advanced Recycling : Pyrum Innovations AG helps progress the BlackCycle project
Pyrum Innovations AG, a pioneering company that recycles used tyres sustainably with its patented pyrolysis technology, reports on the progress of the European BlackCycle project. The renowned EU-funded project, led by the French tyre manufacturer Michelin, aims to enable a closed-loop economy for the efficient recycling of used tyres. In this context, all milestones of the project were achieved in 2021. Of particular note is the world's first production of sustainable carbon black (sCB) for reuse in tyres using pyrolysis oil from scrap tyres as raw material, which was provided by Pyrum. The project partner Orion Engineered Carbons, one of the world's leading producers of carbon black, has confirmed that the pyrolysis oil produced and supplied by Pyrum is qualitatively equivalent to conventional carbon black produced from petroleum. This novel production of a sustainable material from used tyres represents a true closed-loop process.
Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG: "We are very proud to be part of this important project, as it is also our primary goal to contribute to the achievement of a circular economy. For this reason, we have also extended the scope of our deliveries and supplied 20 tonnes of additional pyrolysis oil for the additional Fast Track process carried out, so that the sustainable tyre of the future - made from 100% recycled material - can be brought to market more quickly."
The BlackCycle project, which was launched in May 2020 and will run until the end of August 2023, is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Under the project, 13 companies from five EU countries are researching a sustainable process to recycle recovered materials from used tyres back into new tyre production. This includes the collection and selection of raw materials from scrap tyres, as well as the optimisation of pyrolysis, oil refining and recycling. The Pyrum Innovations AG team focuses on the further development and adaptation of the pyrolysis process on a laboratory and industrial scale. The aim is to obtain products with tailor-made properties for ideal further utilisation with the highest possible quality from discarded tyres.
Press release