Tire recycling, still in its infancy, is it finally about to be industrialized?
In Europe, the volume of end-of-life tires scrapped each year has steadily increased to 3.5 million tonnes per year.
Swedish recycling specialist Enviro Systems, in which Michelin became a minority shareholder three years ago, and private equity firm Antin Infrastructure Partners, both associated with Michelin, are creating a joint venture to create the first recycling group of industrial-scale tires in the world
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The ambition is high.
The joint venture plans to set up several tire recycling plants across Europe, with a total recycling capacity of up to one million tonnes of end-of-life tires per year by 2030, a third of the annual quantity of used tires in Europe.
The first factory, located in Uddevalla in Sweden, is expected to be fully operational by 2025, the companies say.
First factory in Sweden
By replacing virgin carbon black, derived from oil and whose production is energy-intensive, with that recycled by Enviro, it will be possible to reduce emissions linked to the use of conventional carbon black by more than 90%, underline the companies. .
Related to the target volume of one million tonnes of end-of-life tires, this would represent an estimated reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of 670,000 tonnes.
The objective is to produce regenerated carbon black, as well as oils that can be reused in the manufacture of tires and in the petrochemical industry.
Michelin will source from these factories.
Antin will be the majority shareholder of the joint venture and Enviro will own 30%.
Michelin did not disclose what its stake was.
The world's number one tire company should increase in capital as the factories are built.
In 2021, Michelin and Enviro announced the upcoming construction of a factory in Chile.
This project has obviously been delayed.
