Recycling end-of-life tyres has long resisted sustainable solutions. Addible, an Ireland-based green chemistry innovator, is changing that with OxyCycle — a patent-pending, oxidation technology that delivers cleaner, higher-quality recycled materials. Founded in 2020, Addible’s leadership team draws on decades of experience, with more than 600 scientific publications, 25 patents, and 20,000 citations to their names. Their mission: to design, develop, and commercialise green chemistry breakthroughs that drive the circular economy. OxyCycle is a flagship example — a novel devulcanisation process that reclaims valuable materials with a focus on sustainability and material quality.

Unlike pyrolysis, which uses extreme heat to thermally decompose rubber, OxyCycle selectively oxidises sulfur-sulfur (S–S) bonds in vulcanised rubber. The resultant rubber polymer product then dissolves into solution, allowing efficient separation of metal wire, fabric, additives, and carbon black. The process yields two high-value streams: clean, re-vulcanisable rubber polymer and carbon black/silica with zero char — all using a recyclable and potentially bio-based technology. Laboratory trials have demonstrated excellent results, achieving approximately 98% total material recovery: 54% rubber polymer (fully soluble in toluene), 34% high-purity carbon black/silica and 10% extracted additives. Critically, the recovered polymer retains unsaturated (C=C) bonds essential for re-vulcanisation, while early analysis suggests that the carbon black exhibits improved surface properties compared to pyrolysis-derived alternatives. Built on Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles, OxyCycle is based on our novel, patent-pending green oxidation technology, which eliminates the need for metal catalysts, strong acids, or harsh bases, prioritising recyclable and environmentally responsible reagents at every step.

Now operating at TRL 3–4, Addible is actively seeking industrial partners to help scale the technology, validate performance across diverse rubber feedstocks, and advance carbon black upgrading pathways. Addible will be presenting OxyCycle, along with the versatile underpinning technology, at ChemUK in Birmingham this May. Stakeholders, recyclers, and manufacturers are invited to get in touch to explore collaboration opportunities. OxyCycle offers a new path forward for tyre recycling that delivers superior material quality without compromising on sustainability.

For more information or to arrange a meeting at ChemUK, visit Addible.eu or contact the Addible team directly.