News: Weibold Academy

Today, more than 80 percent of the carbon backbone that most chemicals are made of is still derived from fossil raw materials. This means that neither the basic chemicals, which are made from petroleum feedstocks, nor the products made from them are sustainable. The load limits, such as climate change, ocean acidification and integrity of the biosphere, are far exceeded by most chemicals. Some chemicals even exceed Earth's exposure limits by more than 100 times. This is the conclusion reached by the University (ETH) in Zurich in a recent study published in the expert journal Green Chemistry (2021, 23, 9881) in which the most produced 490 chemicals have been analysed through the lens of seven planetary boundaries representing critical biophysical limits that should never be exceeded.

The European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA) is hosting the three day event that will take place from Wednesday through to Friday 23 - 25 March 2022 at the NH Collection Hotel, Grand Sablon, Brussels. The Conference is the culmination of a year-long series of ETRA-led and supported activities and events that focused on market development and expansion for a broad array of recycled tyre materials, products and applications.

Modern chemical tire recycling (pyrolysis) plants produce environmentally friendly chemical raw materials, and thus they support the overarching and specifically specified goals of the EU Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, they can make a significant contribution to reducing GHG emissions in the manufacture of tires.

The International Organization for Standardization (2008, 2013) defines chemical recycling as a production of new raw materials by changing the chemical structure of polymers (e.g., plastic, rubber) through depolymerization, excluding energy recovery and incineration. Whereby depolymerisation is understood as a reversion of a polymer to its monomer(s) or to a polymer of lower relative molecular mass. This irreversible chemical decomposition (depolymerization) in pyrolysis processes is caused solely by a rise in temperature in an inert or oxygen free environment (UIPAC, 2021).

State-of-the-art pyrolysis processes are an efficient, viable and sustainable approach for the valorisation of end-of-life tires (ELT) into oil, gas and recovered Carbon Black (rCB). They are thus an important step towards the transition to a low carbon, more sustainable, resource efficient, circular economy in line with the EU Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainable rCB, thermochemically recovered from end-of-life tires, has already made the leap into industrial practice, and is making an important contribution to closing the loop in the tire and rubber industry. The first Cradle to Cradle certificate for rCB was already issued by EPEA in 2017, and most recently another rCB was accredited under the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) scheme. Besides the environmental advantages of using rCB in the rubber & tire industry, for instance that of CO2 reduction, the economic feasibility of pyrolysis is positively affected by these markets.

Weibold is welcoming pyrolysis / tire recycling technology suppliers, researchers and all other interested parties from the industry to hold webinars on our platform. Our audience comprises over 25,000 professionals from tire recycling, pyrolysis and affiliated industries, which helps you increase your business presence, attract new customers and spread a word about your business activities. Benefit from our tire recycling and pyrolysis network we have been building up over the past 22 years. Contact Agustina Martin for more information.

This article deals with the question of whether the scientific recommendations for the development of new modification methods for upgrading recovered Carbon Black (rCB) derived from end-of-life tire (ELT) pyrolysis have not already been (partially) overtaken by industrial practice. This question does not mean that the extensive research on rCB is unnecessary. Quite the contrary! Past and new research results were and are of priceless value for the development of new ASTM approved characterization methods to be able to predict rCB performance in rubber applications in a practical and science-based manner.

This article should give an overview over the recent development trends regarding the options for an upgrade of the tire-derived oil (TDO) with chemical and physical techniques. In two previous articles we have already dealt with the production of limonene and highlighted the advantages of fractional distillation of TDO. Introduction Refiners around the world are looking for alternatives to producing fuels from petrochemicals only. This is due to expected future declines in crude oil reserves combined with significant fuel demand growth expectations throughout the world and increasing environmental awareness among the population.