Pyrolysis has long been identified as the best and most environmentally friendly solution to recycle end of life tyres.

 

Tyre Pyrolysis is often confused with Waste Pyrolysis (and occasionally with tyre incineration).

It is important to point out the difference between the two technologies.

 

Most gasification and pyrolysis processes have four stages:

 

Pre‐treating the waste, which usually involves sterilising it and separating out some of the impurities, especially glass, grit and metal.

 

PYReco Tyre Pyrolysis does not require pre‐treating other than shredding the tyre.

Heating the remaining waste, mainly organic pulp, to produce Gas, Oils and Ash

 

The PYReco Tyre Pyrolysis process does require heat but in relatively small quantities in relation to the energy released by the process.

In addition to a net energy gain, the Tees Valley plant will also produce considerable quantities of pyro‐carbon and steel.

 

‘Scrubbing’ (cleaning) the Gas to remove some of the particulates, hydrocarbons and soluble matter.

Flue gases from electricity generation in the PYReco Tyre Pyrolysis process will be cleaned in the normal way. The pyro‐carbon contains materials used by the motor and tyre industry and requires no cleaning.

 

Using the scrubbed Gas to generate electricity and, in some cases, heat (through combined heat and power – CHP).

The PYReco Tyre Pyrolysis reclaims valuable materials in addition to the oil and gas. PYReco Carbon Black and steel is separated and can be reused without the necessity of removing impurities.

 

The Gas and Oil can be sold separately or used to produce energy. The Tees Valley plant will generate electricity.

Pyreco will provide Europe’s first large scale tyre pyrolysis plant in Teesside by early 2012. The development, which is currently at the planning stage, will turn used tyres back into carbon black, steel, gas and oil, with no negative environmental implications.

 

Tyre pyrolysis involves externally applying heat to tyres in an oxygen free environment, so that the tyres decompose, giving off gas, then oil, leaving a mix of char and steel which is then separated and further refined. All of the material entering the chamber is accounted for in the various outputs. To find out more about the process, and how we recycle car tyres, click here.

 

The process represents the culmination of a twelve year research and development programme and will result in a fully operational plant, capable of processing and recycling 60,000 tonnes of tyres per year.

 

Environmentally, PYReco will help towards the UK’s targets on greenhouse gas reductions through the displacement of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO2 that would otherwise be created through the production of carbon black, steel and power.

 

Two hundred and fifty million discarded tyre casings, or “arisings”, per annum, projected to rise by four per cent a year (EU Statistics and Freedonia Report) represents potentially 4 million barrels of recoverable diesel fuel, plus 4.5 million BOE (barrels of oil equivalent) of syngas.

 

The greatest savings of all, however, will come from recycling the carbon black and steel. Carbon black manufacture requires the burning of around 1.4 tonnes of oil for each tonne of carbon black. Reclaiming the valuable materials used to manufacture Europe’s tyres would save the needless consumption of a further 6 million barrels of oil and avoid creating around 700,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

 

With the European Union urgently seeking ways to reduce its carbon footprint and protect vital strategic resources, the opportunities are clear. In addition to the recovery of vital raw materials, Pyreco also prevents the need for current environmentally unfriendly tyre disposal methods such as incineration, land cover and land fill.

 “Over the last 25 years I have been looking to discover ways to reduce mankind’s footprint on our planet. It is therefore of particular personal satisfaction to be able to
see such huge benefits being attached to this plant and for those who purchase its products,” says PYReco’s chairman, Anthony Carter.