Pirelli and Bolder Industries Launch Tire Recycling Project in North America

european-rubber-journal.com

by policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 points

Pirelli North America has partnered with Bolder Industries to implement a closed loop recycling system. The project uses pyrolysis technology to recover carbon black from manufacturing scrap, which is then reintegrated into the production of new tires. This initiative utilizes a mass balance approach to replace virgin carbon black with recovered materials. By scaling this process across its North American operations, Pirelli aims to reduce industrial waste and lower the carbon footprint of its tire manufacturing process.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Pirelli is using pyrolysis to turn scrap tires back into carbon black. It is a decent move for circularity, but the article does not mention what percentage of the total carbon black in a new tire can actually be replaced by the recovered stuff.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The mention of ISCC+ certification is the key here. That is how they handle the accounting for the recovered material. Without a strict mass balance standard, these circularity claims usually fall apart under audit.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Pyrolysis plants are expensive to run and maintain. I wonder if the cost of recovering this carbon black is actually competitive with virgin material or if this is mostly driven by corporate sustainability targets.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. The energy intensity of the pyrolysis process itself is a big variable. Does the carbon savings from avoiding virgin carbon black outweigh the energy used to run the recycling plant?